Tailspin
by Pinkcandle
Summary: Four years have passed since the Digital Gate was closed off. DATS has disbanded and its members have moved on. But when a call comes through and the gate is opened once more for a visit, the lives of the DATS members go into a tailspin. Marcus/Thomas
1. Arrival

Footsteps reverberated throughout the abandoned halls, lights flickering from lack of use. Surreptitiously he wandered, his mind lost within. The dust of a time once gone still covered his navy blue overcoat, his hands lining the pockets. His movements were slow, feet trudging against the cold metal of the halls. Gloved hands slid across steel rails as the floor transitioned into the slate of the control room. Sampson's heart ached as he gazed upon the most familiar, his despondent self retracting inward once again. Memories of a better time fluttered through his view, the laughs of comrades filling his ears. He sat down upon his old command chair, the dust exhaling outward.

Sampson allowed his face to fall into his hands, the dust accumulated from the rails smearing across his face. He was thankful for his reclusive situation, as he felt a single regret wipe away the dirt now fixated to his face. His heart lurched, the sheer hopelessness he felt without Kudamon taking it's toll. Deep lines creased across his forehead, his body despondent in nature. It felt like an entire part of him had been ripped away, his chair creaking beneath him as his mind stumbled upon his last memory with Kudamon.

He was allowed the silence of the room, letting his head fill only with memories. No machines beeped, and the flurry of pedicured fingers across keys that had always filled the chamber were no more. The stillness of the place only cemented the reality, that DATS was no more. There was no need for it. And yet, the building had continued to exist, caught in a time when its existence was useful. It had been rebuilt from the ground up, only to be abandoned in favor of more commonplace quarters. It stood now only as a memory of what was once a useful facility. Of what was once a team with purpose, but now was unneeded by the society that moved on without it. Of what was once unification, but now stood only as a depressing eyesore to the people that had once walked its halls every single day, with pride in their steps. It only now served to remind me them a hole that had been torn into all of their lives. Sampson was allowed the silence to reflect upon this harsh reality... until a crackling sound began to fill the command room, and one of the screens before him lit up with static, shedding light into the dark room, dispelling the commander's thought that the electricity had been cut long ago.

The ear-splitting crinkle of static broke through the silence, the light of an abandoned screen spraying across Sampson's face. Instantly he shot up, his chair falling backwards as surprise overtook him. "W-What is going on?" He demanded, voice quavering, to what had replaced the silence, the emptiness inside replaced by fright. Shadows danced upon the green walls of the DATS headquarters behind him, his voice growing as he yelled, "W-What...are you?"

The static on the screen began to dissipate, revealing what looked like a stone wall. The picture occasionally flickered,with static leaping across it, but it soon became fairly stable. "Attempting to contact DATs headquarters," came a calm, familiar voice. "We are- oh." The very serious voice suddenly fell off as two tiny white paws emerged from the bottom of the screen and began to adjust the camera.

His heart jumped. The sheer audacity of the situation was... unreal. It couldn't be. The situation was illogical in nature. "K-Kudamon?" Sampson stammered, his hands slamming down upon the control module. "What's...What's going on?" His mind immediately jumped for the worst, for surely such an event could only be heralded by an emergency of the utmost importance. "Is everything alright? Are... you okay? You're not injured are you?" he gasped, his voice trembling on the word 'injured'.

There was a quiet laugh from the other end of the line as the camera was jostled before it tilted down to reveal Kudamon's tiny white body. He sat upright like a meerkat, tucking his little paws back into his chest once the camera was tilted to his satisfaction. "I'm fine, Sampson," he answered, his ears twitching and the tail end of his long white body waving back and forth behind him. "I'm contacting you to make a request," he said as the picture wavered.

Sampson's heart, once locked with stone, fluttered with bliss. The utter relief he felt was wondrous, the entirety of his body relaxing. His hand shot up to uncovered eyes, his glasses falling to the ground. Tears of a sorrow built up inside his chest welled within his eyes, dusted gloves covering the majority of his face. Taking a moments reprieve, his posture was restored, the look of determination he once held returning to his face, a glow radiating from his eyes as he bent down to pick up his glasses. Carefully positioning them upon their rightful place, Sampson spoke. "Kudamon... I-" There was a loud buzzing sound and the screen flat-lined, darkness enveloping the room. "Kudamon!" he yelled, throwing himself against the control panels. There was no response, only the silent mockery of the blackness, taunting him. His fist pounded repeatedly against the metal, his knuckles growing raw against the linen gloves. "God... damn it."

Halfway across town, a cellphone phone rang an unfitting, upbeat tune. Cellphone charms clinked against each other as it was pulled from the pocket of shorts. Blonde hair was flipped back as the phone was flipped open, after its owner had done a brief check on the number to see who was calling. "Commander," whined Megumi's voice into the phone. "What is it? We're off-duty today. Shouldn't you be calling Yoshino?"

Blue heels clicked across bricked pavement, but her movements were stopped by the sound of "When you have to face a fight, be strong give it all your might..." emanating from her pocket. In one swift flick of the wrist, the purple haired girl spoke into the phone, "What. What is it that you want, I mean, what the hell!" Miki stamped her foot, the former DATS member furious at being interrupted while on her way to the local hot springs. "You know it is my day off and I refuse to do any dirty work, or come into wor-..." She stopped suddenly, the muscles on her face relaxing. "Oh... I'll be right over."

Several hours passed before yet another phone rang. This time, a land-line, reaching even farther across town than the first two calls. "Hello?" came the cheerful voice of the owner of the phone. She listened intently to the voice on the other end for a moment, nodding as the sound of a knife hitting a cutting board accented the caller's words and giving quiet 'mhm's, until she said, "Alright, one second." She put her hand over the receiver as she turned, and called, "Keenan! Kristy!" Still in school uniform, the tan boy with blue hair and the brunette with pigtails had soon run down the stairs and appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

"What is it, Mrs. Daimon?" Keenan asked in his choppily accented voice. She gestured to the phone, and he hesitantly walked into the kitchen to take it from her. "Hello?"

The sweet, serenading music of the Norstein restaurant drifted over Yoshi's ears, her heart swooning as she gazed upon Thomas' figure, the dark color of his suit contrasting against his blue eyes. "You look marvelous, Yoshino." She felt her face turn hot, her eyes breaking away from his.

"T-Thanks..." It was all too much, the fancy dresses, the exquisite food, not to mention the fact that Thomas looked great all dressed up.

"Yoshi..." Thomas started, "I just want you to kno-" Cut off by his ring-tone, he slowly slid his phone out of the hidden pocket within his jacket. "It's the Commander," Thomas explained, swiping his blond hair away from his ear before bringing the phone up. "Yes... Yes, she is with me now..." Thomas' mouth dropped slightly, his face distorting from the series of emotions he was experiencing.

"Thomas? What's wrong?" Yoshino asked softly, putting her arm against the silky threads of his black suit sleeve.

"We have to go. Now."

Yoshino was practically dragged out of the restaurant, and she nearly stumbled over her heels as the blond pulled her outside without explanation. "What's going on?" she asked. Once they were outside of the fancy restaurant, her soft guise dropped like a rock and she was back to her loud outdoor voice. Thomas didn't give her an answer, but she started to put the pieces together as their quick pace soon caught them up with Keenan and Kristy, the former of which was being dragged along as well. Yoshino could relate. "What's going on?" she repeated as she broke away from Thomas' grasp and jogged up alongside Keenan after kicking off her heels in favor of holding them in her hand.

"Commander Sampson is opening the gate to the Digital World!" Keenan exclaimed.

"So, the time's finally come."

"Commander Yushima!" The group's eyes all widened as they came to a halt, the oldest DATS member standing in their path. He smiled, slinging his fishing-pole over his shoulder.

"No need to rush," he said with a laugh. "The gate isn't going to get any more closed than it is right now."

"Well then why drag us all the way out here? I was supposed to... be on a... d-date..." Yoshino demanded, stammering her way through that last part.

Thomas snickered at her response, adding, "Don't you want to be here the moment Lalamon arrives? And besides... judging from the urgency of the call, something must of happened, to call us all in like this," Thomas speculated, finishing with, "Well, Commander? What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Yushima said, shaking his head. "Apparently Sampson got a call from Kudamon and is trying to open the gate now. But Kudamon's call was cut off before he could say what was going on."

"Then it's even more important that we rush!" Keenan argued. "What if something wrong?"

"No," Thomas started, "If something is wrong, then that would be the worst thing we could do. Not only would we be ineffective, but we could make the situation worse by just being there. No, we need a plan." He glided a hand through his silky, golden locks, taking a step forward. "Let's meet up with Commander Sampson and see what he has in mind. From their we will develop the most appropriate plan for our situation."

Yushima gave an approving nod. "Exactly," he said, laughing gently. Thomas always was beyond perceptive. He led the group the rest of the way towards DATS headquarters. Seeing the building looming on the horizon brought back a lot of memories to the group, both good and bad. Despite the fact that the pace they now set was leisurely, tension was still high in each of their hearts as they all formulated different potential situations and dangers that could be waiting for them on the other side of the digital gate. The only one who seemed completely calm was Yushima, as he produced a handkerchief from his front shirt pocket and wiped the door handle clean before holding it open for the others.

The group hustled hurriedly through the door, a tensioned silence grasping the atmosphere. They tread the path Commander Sampson followed earlier, their feet clamorously clanging against the metal-clad floor. "Ah! So you have arrived," Sampson's voice echoed, the soft whisper of air escaping heard as the automatic doors opened to the control room.

Yoshino stepped forward, worry strewn across her face as she burst out, "Well? What's wrong? What's going on? Is everything alright?"

The Commander hid his concern behind a soft laugh, patting his subordinate's head. "Everything is going to be alright. Kudamon attempted to contact us... however..." His face became solemn, his mouth turning downward in the corners. "He got cut off..." Sampson sat down upon his seat, laying his head against the soft, cushioned upholstery. His gaze wandered upward, his insides churning at the thought of what might have happened.

"Commander..." Thomas spoke up, "Is... Is Marcus alright?"

Keenan's eyes glanced upwards at Thomas, who still towered above him despite how much he had grown. Somehow, he'd expected that to be one of the blond's first questions. "If Kudamon didn't have time to say what was going on, I doubt he had time to inform us of any of our comrade's whereabouts," Yushima said, as he came to stand beside Sampson's chair with his hands folded behind his back. "I think all that's left is for us to see for ourselves." He turned a knowing eye onto the back of Sampson's head, and he knew the man could feel his gaze if not see it. "Right, Commander?"

"Yes. That's right." Sampson fixed his posture, sitting up to appease Yushima, and retain his position as Commander of DATS. "We must make due with what we have got." His voice slowly regained the command it once had, his fingers moving to push his darkened shades up the bridge of his nose. "Miki. Megumi. If you would start the Digital Portal Opening Sequence. I managed to trace the coordinates of the transmission to 53, 67. It would be wise to open the portal immediately to... see what knowledge Kudamon has acquired of the situation, and then act accordingly."

"Got it!" The all-too familiar sound of fingers flying furiously across keypads suddenly filled the room. The combination of those familiar sounds, and the sounds of machines starting to boot up once more out of a four year long sleep, made the command center seem less alien, more familiar. Yoshino had abandoned her heels at the door and was now walking barefoot across the cold metal floor to watch over Megumi's shoulder. Keenan and Kristy also cautiously approached, watching as the tube that sat high on a platform at the back of the room began to spark, coupled with a loud whirring sound.

"Transfer rate thirty percent," Megumi said.

"Activate digital harmonizer."

"Unlock Digi-Gates one through seven."

"Coordinate settings... check!"

"Stabilizer adjustment complete. Rate at ninety percent..."

"Checking systems... all green!"

"Digital Gate... open!" Megumi exclaimed, as, in a flash of light, a small body appeared in the tube. It opened, and the tiny, snake-like form of Kudamon padded out on tiny paws. The little red earring on his ear clinked as he approached the commander's console, the DATS members only able to look on in surprise. They hadn't expected the Digital Gate to open so quickly, or for Kudamon to pass through as soon as it did. The little Digimon stopped in the middle of the room, lifting one of his paws and offering a salute as his greeting.

"Kudamon..." Sampson exclaimed, his voice filled with dread. Solemnity was present in his features, his movements quiet and grave. Slowly he arose, his enormous body towering over the others. Stepping down from the platform on which his seat was situated, he made his way over to his Digimon, still wearing the coat he wore while reminiscing just a little while ago. "Kudamon..." Suddenly, he dropped to one knee, his voice trembling with relief, as a smile broke out across his face. "My... shoulder has been quite cold without you..." Tears streamed from under his glasses, his face hidden from view. A heavy burden had been lifted from him, and with it a light one adorned his shoulder, Kudamon scurrying up to his rightful place.

"This time Sampson... Even though I am upon this shoulder... I don't want to be alone," Kudamon softly whispered, consoling the giant of a man.

"So what's the emergency?" Yoshino demanded, rushing over to lean over the commander's console, looking at the little Digimon now settled neatly on Sampson's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"The condition that is plaguing the defenders of the Digital World..." Kudamon started, his tail flicking back and forth. "Is a very serious one."

"Well? Kudamon, please, stop giving us the cold shoulder!" Yoshino exclaimed, the tension inside carrying over into her voice. She forced herself back, the thought of something happening to Lalamon taxing her body. She no longer cared for her date, nor the time she spent picking out her snug red dress. She only cared for her comrades, and what may have happened to them. They were her world, and for her world she would do anything.

Kudamon made a motion with his paw for the girl to calm down as a small smirk curled across his face. "I believe it's called homesickness."

The group laughed in unison, worries uplifted from their shoulders. Each respective DATS member concerned for the sake of both their own Digimon, and that of their comrades, not to mention a certain DATS member in particular. The relief was heard throughtout their elated giggles, the tension draining from the room. Soon, however, a light flashed across the screens of Miki and Megumi, their eyes locking onto their respective screens, chairs spinning in their direction. "Digital harmonizer re-analigning!" Miki's voice rang out, her fingers sprinting across the keyboard, the respective keys lighting up at her touch. "The coordinates are locked in from the other side... We've got more coming through." Her brow furrowed in uncertainty, looking towards her commanding officer for further orders. This was a free ticket over, and they couldn't control whether what came was friend...or foe.

"Well? What are you waiting for? We should remedy this dire situation at once!" Sampson ordered between laughs, his confidence restored in his voice.

There was another spark and sizzle of the gate, and this time, two Digimon passed through. Clad in armor and holding spears, one in white and one in black. "PawnChessmon!" Megumi squealed, instantly leaping up to bolt towards her Digimon.

"Megumi, keep your post!" Kudamon called. "There's going to be more in just a moment!" The blond hesitantly sat back down, but, much to her delight, her PawnChessmon quickly shuffled over to her and took his rightful place in the seat next to her, starting to do his part in typing as the other PawnChessmon went over to his partner on the opposite side of the room and also climbed up onto his chair next to her.

The group beamed as they leaned forward in anticipation, wondering who was to come through next. "Bionic condenser, standing by." Miki spouted, having done this myriad times before, her attention cut between that of the screen and her newly arrived Digimon. The portal opened with a rush of air as a Digimon covered in white and light blue fur passed through, his Akita-esque face gleaming at Thomas.

"G-Gaomon!" Abandoning reason, he ran up to the gate, leather shoes clacking against the metal as he grabbed the Digimon by the shoulders. "I'm... so glad you're alright."

"It's great to see you in good health too, sir," Gaomon answered, grinning wolfishly, and yet sheepishly scratching at the back of his head with a gloved hand. His ears and tail shot straight up in surprise when, just as quickly, someone else passed through the portal. This time, it was the turtle-like Kamemon, who idly stepped out of the digital gate as if he was just simply walking into the room and approached Yushima, holding out his hand lethargically and giving the man a lazy handshake, which only made the Commander smile and pat the Digimon on the head.

As they stepped forward the top of the Digital Gate began to whiz around again, the purple and blonde haired girls bursting out various commands and technobabble, the rest of the group watching as a large, pink-feathered Digimon stepped through, his shrill voice calling out to the youngest of the group. "Biyomon!" Kristy sang, holding her arms out for the Digimon to run forward, embracing him.

"Kristy!" Biyomon chirped happily, rushing over to the girl and hugging her tightly. He looked up, the little curl on his head twitching as his eyes widened. "Wow, you're taller than me now! How did that happen!"

The group looked in awe as the machine started again, Sampson wondering out loud where they were going to fit all these Digimon. Pink feathers were replaced by black, yellow talons walking forward. "Keenan..." he said, his golden beak moving slowly. "You've... really grown up without me, haven't you?" he started again, tears welling up in his prudent, round eyes.

"Falcomon!" Unlike the others, there wasn't even a moment's hesitation for Keenan. He rushed forward and practically fell to his knees, grabbing up his Digimon in a chokingly tight grip. "Oh Falcomon, I missed you so much!" he cried, holding him until he realized that poor Falcomon was starting to try and wriggle free in order to get air and let him go.

A bright light flashed next to the two, the portal opening once again. This time a small pink and green plant came flying straight through, colliding with Yoshi's chest. "Lalamon!" She cried out, falling over, Digimon in arms. Pressing the digimon against her silky red dress, she continued, "I missed you so much! There's so much catching up to do!"

There was a lull in the arrivals for a moment. Everyone was so wrapped up in catching up with their partners, however, that they didn't seem to notice it at first. That was until the ever-present background noise of fingers against keys slowed and then stopped, and all eyes suddenly went over to Megumi and Miki. "No one's coming through," Megumi said, shrugging her shoulders, and her PawnChessmon gave a shrug as well.

The chatter slowly died, the all too familiar tension returning to the room. There were two missing... and no one was coming through? "How could this be?" Thomas murmured, his voice quavering a little, his arms still locked on Gaomon. "He... is coming, right?" Suddenly another flash blinded him, forcing him to lift his hand to shield his eyes. "...Marcus?" he gasped, looking onward towards the gate. Swiftly the figure hopped out, feet slowly crossing the bridge from the portal to the command consoles. Gradually the light died away, the bath of flourescent pigments dieing away, revealing the shadowed character.

"Nope, not yet!" The orange dinosaur-like Digimon snickered, walking forward.

"Agumon!" Kristy greeted him cheerily, but the others still looked concerned. What was taking Marcus so long? Again, the gate's activity died and the four manning the consoles looked over the data concernedly, waiting for something to happen. It suddenly sprang to life in a quick flash, and the nearly silently room was instantly filled with a victorious yell, and then laughing.

"Sorry about that!" From the digital gate exited the last member of the returning party, Marcus Daimon. His brown hair had gotten longer but was pulled back in its usual ponytail, and his skin had tanned a bit more from a life of living outside, even if it was under a digital sun. He was still wearing the same outfit from when he first left, but it was plain that he'd gotten stronger, simply in the fact that the black shirt and red and white vest had become sleeveless. He was cracking his knuckles as he stepped out into the command room. "Had to teach an Ogremon a lesson before I left." He grinned widely, flashing a pearly white smile, before turning his eyes on each member in turn. They stopped on Yoshino, and he narrowed his eyes as he stared at her snug dress for quite a while, looking her up and down. "You uh..." he started, snapping his fingers as he seemed to try and find the words. "You grew out your hair, huh?" he said, smirking.

Silence. It gripped the hearts of those awaiting his return, their minds consumed by similar thoughts. Her heels clicked across the floor, red dress swaying in her wake. A tender smile cracked into a frightening scowl as her hand struck across the boy's face. "How could you?" Yoshino yelled, her voice spiking. "Leaving us here, all alone... Without you. To do what? Fight Digimon? To worry all of us left behind? What is wrong with you?" Her fist pounded against his chest, her voice turning to sobs. "Why... Why couldn't you just stay with us... w-where it's safe." Her arms reached around him, pulling him tight. "H-How... could you..."

Marcus put a hand on his cheek when it was suddenly struck, and had opened his mouth to shout back at her, when he suddenly noticed that Yoshino had already broken down into tears. His surprised expression turned back into a sort of lopdied smile, and he moved the hand off of his cheek, which was now turning red, after giving it a short massage, and placed it on top of her head. "Sorry," he laughed quietly. "How about you hit me again and we call it even?"

Her hands slid across his noticably more muscled chest, her head resting against his ribs. The material was dirty, softened from one too many fights, crinkled under the pressure that Marcus most definitly put it through. Her knees wobbled beneath her, caving into each other as she held herself up by Marcus' shoulders. "I... you jerk..." she sobbed, pounding her fist against his chest.

Marcus just kept smiling and rubbed his hand on top of her head in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Hoping to lighten the mood a bit, he looked around for a humorous observation. Jumping from Keenan and Kristy in their school uniforms, to Thomas in his suit, and back down to Yoshino in her dress, he laughed quietly and said, "Man, you guys got dressed up awfully fancy for my coming back party. I would have rented a tux or something."

Yoshino slowly lifted herself up, using his shoulder to regain her equilibrium. "A-and another... thing..." Upon Marcus finishing his sentence, Yoshino found the blood in her face drained away, biting her bottom lip.

"So! Marcus! I am sure you have tons of stories for us!" Thomas interjected, his face flushed.

"Y-Yeah... stories..." Yoshino rambled, her hip jutted to the side.

Marcus quirked a brow, but quickly stopped caring and spun around to face Thomas, pumping his fist in the air in front of him. "You bet! And I'm sure you guys have lots of stories too. What have you been doing with DATS, with the gate closed and all? Manufacturing new security systems so less bad Digimon get through when it got opened again? Doing research or paperwork or some crap like that?"

"Actually, Marcus..." Keenan started, shaking his head. "DATS hasn't been working for a long time."

"What?"

Sampson pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "That's right. There has been no need to have DATS with the portal closed. Most of the team has either been assimilated into the current disciplinary establishments, or have pursued other dreams," stepping forward as he spoke. "For example, Thomas here became a doctor, and quite the note-worthy one at that."

"A doctor, huh?" Marcus said, crossing his strong arms and letting his bottle green gaze slide over to the blond, still standing awkwardly on the other side of the room. He looked almost judgingly at the other for a moment, before lowering his eyelids and grinning. "Congrats, Nerdstein."

"You... Immature, insolent, intolerable brat!" Thomas fumed, stomping his foot. "I work tremendously hard, trying to cure diseases and this is how yo-..." He brought a hand to his face, running it through his hair. "I refuse to get caught in your silly games, Marcus..." The scowl on his face turned gentler, if but for a moment, "But I'm glad you're alright."

Marcus frowned, putting his hands on his hips instead. "Hey, I said congradulations. Lighten up," he laughed. "You haven't changed much," he then proceed to comment.

"I so too have changed!" Thomas attempted to jest, laughing awkwardly. "Ahem. Anyway, Gaomon..." he turned towards his Digimon, "I'm sure you have a lot to share. And besides, I have a surprise to show you."

"A surprise, sir?" Gaomon asked curiously, his curled tail twitching.

"I really want to spend some time catching up with you too, Kristy!" Biyomon said, bouncing on his heels excitedly.

"You should all go spend some time together," Kudamon said, his own tail waving a little excitedly.

"Bet my parents are gonna be excited," Marcus said, grinning as he and Agumon joined his little sister and Keenan near the door.

Yoshino, still with Lalamon in hand, started towards the door. "Y'know what? That sounds pretty good. Besides, I have to prove to Lalamon here that I'm so much stronger with her around!" she giggled, her movements starting everyone towards the two large, automatic doors.

"Oh, and yes! Keenan! I'd love to see how you are doing in human schools! Is everything going swell with your new family?" Falcomon began, starting to make his way to the door, Keenan by his side.

"Everything is going great, Falcomon," Keenan said, grinning as he stepped out of the room. "I will tell you all about it on our way home..." He and Kristy started to lead the group out while Yoshino and Thomas hung back.

"Hey, um..." Yoshino started, falling into step with the blond, Lalamon now floating over her shoulder as she picked up her previously abandoned heels. "Maybe we should take a raincheck on that dinner... is that o-okay with you?"

Thomas stopped for a moment. He hadn't thought about it since the news of Marcus' coming home hit. "Uh... sure, Yoshi. That sounds wonderful. How does Friday night sound?" Thomas stated coolly, trying to play off his stumble in the beginning.

"That sounds great," Yoshino said, smiling.

"You guys getting food on Friday?" Marcus suddenly interjected, having somehow wound up behind them and slinging his arms over both of their shoulders. "Sounds good to me! Thomas, you're picking me up."

Yoshi shrugged off the arm, turning towards him, "Marcus... I don't think you understan-"

"Sounds good!" Thomas interjected, cutting Yoshi off. "I think it will be wonderful for us to all catch up."

"But... Thomas... You jus-"

"And ahhh, that's right. You've been in the Digital World, so you still don't have your licence. It's of no concern, I'll pick you up," Thomas continued, ignoring Yoshi.

"Alright, great," Marcus said with a grin. She turned to grab at Thomas jacket, pulling him to the side while Marcus continued ahead with Kristy.

"What gives? I thought we were supposed to be re-scheduling our date!" Yoshino argued, saddened at this recent turn of events.

"I know, I know, and for that I apoligize. But Marcus has been in their for years, and we don't know how he'll handle this. I doubt he's ever even been on a date before! For now, let's play it safe. Besides, it honestly will be a good chance to catch up..." He whispered, leaning closer to her ear, "If you play along, I'm sure it will pay off for you in the end."


	2. The Ocean

Darkness enveloped Thomas, the soft glow of his computer screen warping around the soft curves of his face. His blue eyes, fixated upon the screen, triple-checking his day plans. "Everything's... perfect." His lips formed the words, parting ever so slightly. "There is no way... that buffoon could possibly..." His brow furrowed at the notion, the hard plastic of the mouse clicking against itself as his magnificently crafted plans printed themselves out. Slowly he rose, hands pressing against the delicate threads of his coral-colored curtains. Light began to fill the room, dancing upon Thomas' white suit. The warmth was felt against his cheeks, eyes closing as he savored the moment.

"Master Thomas?" his butler, Walter, chimed. "I do believe it is time for your excursion."

"Yes, thank you Walter. I shall be down in a moment. Ready two limos, one to take me down now, and one to pick up Yoshi and... him," Thomas announced as he headed for the door. "Everything's going to be... fine," he sighed, door closing behind him. From the corner of the room, Gaomon had been watching Thomas work on his date plan. The blue Digimon could only smile and put his head in his hand as he watched his partner walk out in his dapper clothing. Hadn't he seen this before?

Unfortunately, Thomas' plan hit its first bump when the limo first pulled up to the Damon residence. Blinds were pushed aside as Marcus peered through his bedroom window at the limo waiting for him outside. Thomas really hadn't changed. He stood up, brushing off his rather casual muscle shirt and jeans, and headed downstairs. The house was rather lively, with his sister, Biyomon, and Agumon all arguing over some television show or something, and the brunet was thankful for it, since it allowed him to slip outside without any confrontation... though he did catch a glimpse of his mother giving him a fleeting wave from the living room window, her attention also caught by the limousine. Marcus just waved back meekly until she turned back to his sister and the Digimon, and Marcus approached the limo, rapping on the glass experimentally to see if Thomas would roll down the window... but leaning down to press his face against the glass, he quickly discovered that the back of the vehicle was empty. "Master Marcus." Walter stepped out of the car, his face creased with age. "I believe these are for you. Master Thomas designated me to give these to you upon my arrival." Slowly his hand outstretched, Walter's black suit contrasting against his graying hair. He smiled as Marcus took them, laughing to himself at how sly he thought Thomas to be. "Now, if you would please," he continued, opening the back door for his passenger.

One eyebrow went up as a bouquet of flowers was pushed into his chest. "What... the hell...?" the brunet murmured to himself, falling into the back seat of the limo as the butler closed the door. He stared at the vibrantly colored flowers as the vehicle started, listening to the paper surrounding their stems crinkle in his hands, and they made a more violent noise as his face fell into an unamused expression, fingers digging into the plastic surrounding the flowers. "If this is his idea of a joke, I ain't laughing."

The limo smelt of leather, the seats clad in it, except Marcus' seat, of which wafted with the delightful aroma of roses. The divider between driver and passenger was rolled down, revealing Walter's hatted head. "Oh I assure you, he was quite serious," he interjected, his gloved hands gliding across the leather wheel. "In fact, I'm sure I would be severely reprimanded if I were to not give them to you. He was quite adamant about it, the color of his cheeks even matched the flowers!" He chuckled, thinking he was helping the situation. "It's too bad the nice young girl we're going to be picking up isn't going to receive the same special... treatment."

"Are you sure?" Marcus asked, frowning at the flowers, pulling off one of the petals experimentally and letting it drop to the floor. "What did he say, exactly?" he asked, leaning back against the seat, throwing the flowers onto the seat next to him.

"I remember the words exactly!" Walter stated as he turned the wheel into Yoshi's home. "Walter, I would like you to deliver these flowers when you first arrive." He beamed as he recited the words, continuing, "It's important... to me." Yoshi could be seen starting from her apartment, turning around to lock the door. "Oh the young master, he grew up so quickly! And yet, he still blushed when he spoke of you. And I could have sworn I heard him mention that you looked phenomenal in a dress." He winked as he exited the car again, opening the onyx door for her to enter, this time wearing a silky, royal blue dress, form-fitting to her hips.

Yoshino slid into the limo to the sight of Marcus scratching his head. He looked completely perplexed by the driver's comments and they had left him in one of his extremely rare moments of speechlessness. "Something wrong, Marcus?" Yoshino asked as she placed her pocketbook down on the floor between her feet. She still wasn't completely happy with the fact that he was coming with them, but that didn't stop her curiosity at the expression on his face. Marcus narrowed his eyes and leaned over to the girl, cupping his hand around his mouth since the butler was getting back into the front of the limo.

"I think Thomas was spying on me," he hissed, shifting his eyes about like he was talking about conspiracy.

Yoshi's eyes narrowed, already irritated from having her second date in a row interrupted by Marcus. "What are you talking about? My Thomas would never do such a thing!" she exclaimed, not caring about the volume of her voice.

Marcus raised his eyebrows, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Your Thomas?" he asked, scoffing and rolling his eyes. "You're psychotic," he chuckled, completely ignoring his own paranoid behavior just a moment ago.

"Excuse me?" Yoshi started, crossing her legs. "You, mister, have been in the digital world for what, four years now?" She over enunciated that last bit, continuing with, "What right does an uncivilized brute like yourself have to say things like that!" stomping her foot and sticking her tongue out. She was about to start again when they pulled up to the boardwalk.

"I hate to interrupt, but this is where you two shall be meeting Master Thomas. Do have fun today." Walter chuckled, getting out to open the door for the two. Upon letting the two out, he shut the door and drove off, muttering to himself, "Give him a good show, Master Thomas."

"Alright, the beach!" Marcus cheered, pumping his fists in the air, completely ignoring Yoshino's comments from inside the limo. He ran out onto the boardwalk, up to the wooden railing that divided the pathway from the beach below, and put his hands up as he deeply inhaled the salty air. "Beaches in the Digital World totally sucked, you couldn't go swimming without some huge monster trying to eat you! This is gonna be awesome," he said, spinning around and offering Yoshi and thumbs-up.

Sand began to fill Yoshi's heels the moment she stepped out of the car. Her feet clicked across the wooden planks of which made up the boardwalk, it's rigid surface lightly dusted with the miniature particles. "Ugh. This is so stupid! I can't believe he would do this to me? I mean really now, how could someone like him believe that he's going to take me out with someone like him tagging along! Where is he anyway?" Yoshi stormed, searching the horizon for Thomas.

Cordially he approached, his reserved footsteps making a soft clap. The wind tousled his hair, blowing through his ivory jacket. "I am sorry to keep you waiting, I just had to double check that everything was in order." Thomas' lavish dress matched that of the archetypal upperclassman, the extravagance reflected in his speech. "Now, the first stop on our day out is the ice cream parlor. This way."

Marcus spun around, looking disappointed to be leaving the beach as soon as they got there. In fact, his hands were already grabbing for the hem of his shirt with the intention to discard it so he could dive into the waves. His eyes caught sight of Thomas' white suit, however, and his train of thought quickly got derailed. "What is wrong with you guys?" he raved, gesturing from Yoshino's dress to Thomas' suit. "Did a new law get passed while I was away or something? 'All Japanese citizens must wear formal wear no matter where they go'? It's the damn beach!" he finished, throwing his hands up. "Ludicrous!"

"Marcus. I'm going to assume you didn't read the e-mail I sent you regarding the state of affairs then." Thomas said with a smirk, knowing full well that he himself didn't send the e-mail in the first place. "We're going to loop back around later for a swim. But for now, we shall go to the reservations of which were made, as according to the spreadsheet, of which indicates the various times and schedules that we are going to keep." He confidently stated, beginning to walk down the boardwalk.

"Spreadsheet?" Marcus asked with a snicker. Yoshino tried to step forward to walk alongside Thomas, but Marcus quickly trotted up to the blond's side before she could. With a huff, she circled around to Thomas' other side. "You made a spreadsheet, really? Why can't you ever go anywhere without a plan, Nerdstein?" the brunet teased, snickering as he spoke.

Yoshi threw her arm around Thomas' shoulders as they walked, yelling back at Marcus, "Yeah well, maybe some people like to have a plan! Maybe some people like to think about what they do, before they do it! Unlike a certain Marc-unt!"

"Yoshi!" Thomas exclaimed, surprised at her vocabulary use. "There's... no need to stoop to his level," he calmly said, regaining his composure.

"Oh yeah? Well... you're... stupid!" Marcus huffed, crossing his arms and turning his head away at the same time she did, both giving a 'hmph'. If Thomas hadn't already surmised it, it was pretty clear now; it was going to be a long day. With their eyes locked in opposite directions, the two followed Thomas to the ice cream parlor, like two children being dragged around by an unfortunate father.

The salty taste of the sea air was soon replaced by the faint smell of vanillas and chocolates, as Thomas pushed against the cold, metal outer frame of the parlor, contrasting against the warmth radiating from the beach. "I have arranged for us to be seated in the corner booth, where we will be served our favorite flavors."

When Thomas slid into the booth, Marcus quickly sidled up alongside him. With a huff, Yoshino took her place opposite the two of them on the other side of the booth. She'd figure out a way to keep this feeling like a date, no matter how hard their third wheel was inadvertently ruining everything. "So, guys," Marcus quickly demanded, putting his hands down on the table with such excitement that the silverware, though only spoons, clattered. "Tell me all about what I've missed. What's everyone been doing these past few years?"

"Oh... I've been doing... stuff," Yoshi started, scratching at the side of her cheek.

"Well I've been working hard to cur-" Thomas interjected, however he himself was then interrupted. "Oh hey, here comes the waitress with our order now."

"Hi y'all! And how're ya today? Comin' out for a snack?" The waitress began in a bubbly voice, clad in what appeared to be a modified maid uniform.

"Yes yes, I placed reservation order two days ago for today, consisting of three ice creams. We'll have those now, thank you," Thomas explained, casually turning his head towards her.

The waitress looked confused for a moment, a finger brought to her cheek in thought. "W-Well now... We don't usually get reserve orders, we're only a small ice cream parlor. But if ya'll say so, I'll check in with my manager." She then hurried off to the counter, across the black and pink checkered floor, matching her uniform.

Marcus snickered. "You're such a weirdo, making reservations at an ice cream joint." He watched the waitress bustle off, leaning forwards over the table to keep his eye on her until she'd totally vanished into the kitchen again. He whistled under his breath, smirking a little. While he was distracted, Yoshino kicked off her heels, and tried to salvage what was left of the date atmosphere by sliding her now bare foot up the inside of Thomas' pant leg. After a moments pause, she came back with a strawberry cone, a banana split, and a cone topped with yellow ice cream.

Thomas reached across the amicable table, it's flamboyant pink matching that of his ice cream, Strawberry flavored. Slowly his lips parted, bringing the creamy, delicious substances to his mouth. He felt a chill down his spine as it entered, melting away against his tongue as Yoshi ran her foot up his leg. His back arched slightly, hand coming down against the table, putting the creamy treat down. "H-Here Marcus, the yellow one is yours," he stammered, ignoring Yoshi to the best of his ability.

Yoshino smiled slightly from across the table, content with her work, as she took up a spoon and started to dig into her ice cream as a reward. Marcus, of course, just noticed Thomas arching and stammering after licking ice cream. "Jeez, didn't realize you like this stuff so much. Just don't ruin your suit pants," he snickered, taking his own ice cream and starting to rather messily clean up the trails that were running down the side of the cone. Thomas laid his head back, resting against the stuffed foundations of their corner seat. He was safe, for now. From his silk pocket, he retrieved a spoon, and began to consume his ice cream in a more sophisticated manner. 'Ice cream should hold off Marcus for now... Let's just hope that it lasts long enough for him to not notice the subtexts for today's outing,' Thomas thought to himself, scooping out some of the pink cream. Though Marcus chose not to mention that Thomas had brought his own spoon, he still made a rather loud and obvious snickering noise at it. Yoshino kicked him under the table with her free foot, which got her a growl and a kick back. Somehow they kept up the exchange all while Yoshino casually continued to stroke her date's leg with the other foot and eat her sundae, and while Marcus occupied himself with licking up every drop of ice cream. Of course, his kicking fight with Yoshino distracted him long enough for the ice cream to melt down a neglected side, completely soaking his fingers. With a groan, the brunet switched his cone to the other hand, and began to dutifully suck on his fingers one by one to get the sticky treat off.

Thomas felt his face fluster as the scene played out, his leg retreating from Yoshi's every so often. He had an appearance to maintain, and date or not that was not to be tarnished. "Once you two are..." Thomas took a moments repose, clearing his throat "...Finished, we shall head out to the local candy store, where we shall purchase candy to be consumed on the beach, our stop afterwords."

"Ice cream and then candy, too?" Marcus asked, quirking an eyebrow. He smirked as he licked his lips clean and looked over at Yoshino. "I dunno if that's such a good idea."

"What's that look supposed to mean?" Yoshino snapped, finally leaving Thomas' leg alone in order to take up her heels again and kick both of Marcus' legs in quick succession with both feet.

"Ow! Stop it, ya crazy broad, it's just a joke!"

"What did you just call me?"

"Stop it you two!" Thomas boomed, or at least attempted to, his blond hues contrasting against his reddened face. "At least make it to the beach, where I can let you two loose..." He added with a sigh.

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't you dare lump me in with him Thomas!" Yoshi yelled in exasperation.

"You got scolded," Marcus snickered at Yoshino.

"You did too! I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you chase me in those shoes!" Marcus dared, suddenly leaping out of his seat. Fuming, Yoshino shot up from the booth to try and make a grab at the collar of his sleeveless shirt, but just wound up wobbling and nearly tripping over her heels, which made Marcus burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Yoshino turned her eyes on Thomas, murder obviously burning in them. She wanted nothing more than to wring Marcus' neck so her date could go back to normal.

"That's it! I'm done! We're going to jump ahead in our plans and head to the candy store, before you two ruin me further!" Thomas hollered, slamming down some cash onto the table. "This day is to be perfect, and if either of you screw it up, I'll send you both straight to the Digital World!" he continued, as the waitress scurried over to count the money. "Why thank ya'll! Come again! By the by, my name's Cassie, please do look for me next time ya'll 'er here!" She gleefully grinned, glad over how gargantuan her tip was.

Thomas and Yoshino quickly headed outside with Marcus on their heels, but the brunet suddenly stopped. "What is it?" Yoshino asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"One second," he said, smirking and heading back inside. Yoshino craned her neck to see what Marcus was up to, but he reemerged just a few seconds later with a napkin in his hands and a grin on his face. "Digits," he explained as he folded it up and tucked it into his pocket.

"M-Marcus!" Thomas' face flushed, his eyes drooping. "T-That... is hardly appropriate!" he sputtered, feet turning inward. He started again, quietly, "This day is supposed... to be about the three of us... How coul-" Thomas walked forward a few steps, recomposing himself, voice returning to normal volume. He turned about his heel, the orange gaze of the sun, an indication that their time was growing short, played upon the shadows of his face. "Let's go. You two can pick out whatever you'd like today, my treat."

Marcus frowned, patting his pocket as he trotted alongside Yoshino and Thomas. "What's your problem? That took literally two seconds. What's the big deal with me getting some dame's number?"

"You'll never get it through your thick skull," Yoshino said with a shrug and a loud exhale.

"Man, I can't go anywhere with you guys if you're gonna be downers like this. And we used to have such good times," Marcus sighed, putting his hands behind his head. "Guess you grew up without me. Boring."

"I-... Er, that is to say..." Thomas stumbled over his words, his eyes shifting to the left. "Let's just head over to the beach." He sighed, his feet moving once again. Why? Why had this bothered him so much? Was it because it was interfering with his plans?

"Thomas..." Yoshino whined, her voice dragging along his name. "I didn't bring my bathing suit, how am I supposed to go swimming?"

"Let's go skinny-dipping!" Marcus suggested, which got him a swift smack across the back of the head.

"That's quite alright Yoshi, I have arranged for bathing suits to be provided for myself and you, at the beach where we will change in private stalls." Thomas smirked, knowingly leaving out Marcus. Yoshi relaxed at this, the notion of having to skinny-dip in order to see Thomas shirtless leaving her mind.

"I hope you brought towels... and an umbrella... and snacks..." Yoshi trailed, her mind wandering as they came upon the beach scene. As Thomas and Yoshi started for the ramp that would bring them down from the boardwalk onto the beach, Marcus leaned over the boardwalk railing above it. Unhindered by any thoughts of needing privacy, Thomas would soon be very shocked as a shirt and jeans came falling down upon his head from above. With a yell and his boxers to suffice as a makeshift bathing suit, Marcus vaulted himself over the boardwalk railing and fell straight into the sand, landing on his feet and making a spray of sand before he gained his footing and ran off towards the ocean at top speed.

Thomas felt the linens atop his head, their weight pressing down upon his blond locks, flipped to perfection. "What hooligan wou-" Thomas started. "Wait..." Thomas vision covered, his sense of smell took over. "This smell... I recogniz-" He paused, feeling the wooden planks of the boardwalk shake beneath him as Marcus jumped the rail, his voice calling out. "Marcus! You... You didn't." He brought his hand to his head, tearing away the clothes adorning his head and shoulders.

"He's completely nuts," Yoshino huffed, watching as Marcus sprinted across the beach in camouflage boxers that thankfully looked enough like swim trunks to not get him stared at... if it weren't for the fact that he yelled while he ran and practically dove into the water. The redhead looked to the side a bit, and then up at Thomas. "We could ditch him now, you know," she said quietly. "Go somewhere private while he entertains himself with the beach..."

Thomas watched as the girl approached him, her smile captivating. "I... I don't know. Ditching Marcus wouldn't be nice... It's his first time back in awhil-"

Yoshi stepped forward, her hand grabbing for his. "Come on. It'll be fun! Besides... you promised." She bit her lip, chin cocked to the side. A smile crawled across her face as she pulled him to the side, her lips grazing against his cheek before whispering, "I'll make it worth your while."

Yoshino was just about to go in to kiss the flustered blond when the two of them were enveloped by a freak sandstorm. She drew back and let out a cry, covering her eyes. Spinning around to try and see what happened, leaning against the railing of the ramp was a rather bored looking, completely drenched Marcus, who's wet feet were now covered in sand from kicking it at them. "C'mon you guys, you're taking forever," he groaned, letting down his ponytail and sliding the hairband onto his wrist.

"Marcus you idiot!" Yoshino cried, running after the tanned boy. "You should just go back to the Digital World!" Her feet skidded across the hot sand, her heels being kicked off as she made chase. She felt the sand crawl between her toes, the cool air of the sea contrasting against the sun's hot rays. "Get back here!" she yelled as Marcus ran into the water, waves splashing against his mostly naked body. His skin glistened as he dove into the sea's wet arms, embracing Marcus as he sank, sprays of ocean skewing across Yoshino. "Y-You... You got me all wet!" Yoshino exclaimed, diving into the sea in fury. Marcus resurfaced soon after, laughing hysterically until an enraged Yoshino suddenly grabbed his foot and yanked him unceremoniously under the waves. Thomas could just watch from the shore as they started to grapple it out in the water, splashing about and yelling, Marcus laughing and Yoshino seething with anger, like two very overactive children.

"Ugh. So childish, the both of them," Thomas sighed to himself, walking to the limo parked next to the boardwalk. After a moment he returned, carrying blankets, a cooler and changes of clothes, himself in a cheesy Hawaiian shirt and flower shorts, complete with a lei around his neck. He laid out a blanket, it's fuzzy hairs pressing against the nape of his collar, body stretched across it in the sunlight.

They soon emerged from the ocean. Yoshino hastily snatched up the bathing suit that Thomas had brought for her and rushed off to change out of her now soaking wet dress. Marcus, on the other hand, simply flopped down onto the blankets next to Thomas, not caring that his body was wet or that he made a puff of sand fly up from underneath when he did. With a damp spot quickly forming on the blanket, he rolled onto his side and propped his head up in his hand. "What the hell are you wearing?" he snickered as he pushed dripping bangs out of his face.

Thomas gazed upon Marcus, his hair splayed out on the blanket, lightly grazing against Thomas' leg. He leaned up, eyes soaking up the scene. Marcus' hand behind his head, one eye closed as he laid there, next to Thomas. He felt his face grow hot, hand reaching out involuntarily, to touch the soaked boy. Swiftly his hand jerked back, hand held within the other as he released what was happening. "Gah! I... Er... Wait, what's wrong with it? It's a beach outfit!"

"It's a dork outfit," Marcus responded with a smirk, not seeming to mind when Thomas touched him. He figured the blond was probably checking to see if he was laying on the blanket while still soaking wet. Which he was, and there was nothing Thomas could do about it. He now put both of his hands behind his head and just held himself up to look at the other through the sheer awesome might of his stomach muscles, like he was about to do crunches or something, but rather just lounging like that. "Seriously, a Hawaiian shirt? What are you, a tourist?" Thomas' eyes wandered, his gaze trailing down Marcus' stomach, taking in every curve, every turn of which he had developed. His skin tingled, hairs standing up. After a moment he tore himself away, laying down next to the muscled Marcus. Marcus frowned slightly, sitting upright and putting his hands behind him to lean back on. "What's the matter? You really offended I don't like your flowers?" he asked with another snicker, reaching forward and tugging on the wreath around the blond's neck a bit.

"W-What? Oh. No. I-It's fine. It's just an outfit, I don't expect you to get it," Thomas stated matter-of-factly, turning his head away from the boy. "You're... in just your boxers..." Thomas finished, this time turning his entire body away.

"Huh? Oh," Marcus said, looking down. His boxers were completely soaked too, and clung to his thighs. "Eh, what's the matter with that? It's just bout the same as if I were wearing swim trunks. I doubt anyone minds the view, anyway," he said with a self-confident laugh.

Thomas blushed furiously as he found himself turning just enough to look at Marcus once again, gaze wandering past his waist. Drenched boxers hugged every curve of his lower half, showing everything off. "A-Ah! M-M-Marcus... Your boxers..." he stammered, his entire face growing red.

Marcus rolled his eyes, letting out a drawn-out sigh at the other boy's conservativeness. "Alright, alright. Where did you put my pants?"


	3. In a Veil of Flashing Lights

And so Thomas and Yoshino's second try at a date ended in disaster yet again. Yoshino demanded another reschedule, but she should have known better than to ask for it while they were standing on the beach, not realizing that Marcus was lurking in the ocean. Her eyes blazed with anger as they walked into the movie theater a couple of weeks later, stood on line to get drinks, and saw a boy with a red and white vest and a ponytail standing in front of them. She cleared her throat of the bile rising in it, and he looked over his shoulder, offering them a grin. "Hey, guys, what's doin'?" Marcus laughed.

"Marcus. What are you doing here." Yoshi barred her teeth, grinding them against one another. "This is supposed to b-"

Thomas interjected, his hand pushing her behind him. "Marcus! What a surprise!" Thomas loudly stated, patting the boy on the shoulder. The dark blues and blacks of the movie theater lobby's walls contrasted against the bright yellow lights, adorning the ceiling. Navy carpet underfoot, it's soft fleece brushing against the underside of the groups feet.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Marcus asked, leaning forward a bit to look at Yoshino around Thomas. "I'm here to see a movie, obviously," he said, brandishing his ticket stub. "Isn't that why people usually come here? Unless you just craved popcorn." Looking back at Thomas when the other boy clapped a hand on his shoulder, he held up his ticket into the blond's face, too. "Same flick?"

Thomas felt around his vest pocket for the ticket, it's texture varying from that of the cloth. Beneath his opal stripped vest was a cobalt button down, long sleeves covering the majority of Thomas' arms. Matched against black pants, Thomas looked as if he were more suited to go to a casino then to see a movie. From his pocket he produced the stub, black markings indicating which he was going to see. "It... matches." Thomas stated, holding up the paper to Marcus'. "Looks like we're going to see the same movie..." He finished with a sigh.

"You guys have good taste, then," Marcus laughed, before beating his fist onto his chest, which was covered like usual by a muscle shirt, the vest being unzipped. "How about refreshments on me?"

"Ugh. With what money? You've been in the Digital World this entire time, and in this time you've haven't gotten a job." Thomas spat, stepping past the red fleece dividers, to the counter. "I've got it. You two head over to the show and catch the previews, I'll catch up in a second." He noted, digging into his pocket for his wallet.

Yoshi turned about her heel, cocking her hip to the side before whining, "B-But Thomas! This is the third time he's ruine-"

"Yoshi. Go get us good seats, okay?" Thomas looked over his shoulder, flashing a smile at her. "Just try and have fun."

"Hey, I've got money!" Marcus insisted as Thomas pushed past him. He made a face at the blond behind his back as Yoshino grabbed him by the arm, angrily storming off towards the theater. When Thomas arrived in the proper showing room, it was already pitch black, and the beginning of the movie was showing. He had to wait until the screen lightened a little before he saw a hand waving him over from the middle of the seats.

Thomas underestimated just how much Marcus ordered, his buckets of popcorn, candy, and drinks piled high atop his arms. "Yoshi... Marcus... is that you guys?" Thomas whispered, unable to see from behind the snacks.

"No. Shut up and sit down, y'all're ruining the movie," softly hissed a familiar female voice.

"S-Sorry..."

"Here," finally came a whisper from Yoshino, grabbing Thomas by the back of his vest and leading him into the proper seat. The popcorn and snacks were quickly distributed amongst the three of them as Marcus and Yoshino grabbed them from either side, leaving Thomas with the bucket of popcorn in the center.

"Sorry," came Marcus' quiet snicker of a voice.

"...Shush." Was all that escaped Thomas' lips, still embarrassed from the girl before. "It's so dark in here..." he commented, taking a bite of the popcorn. "It's... almost like we're alone." He said this in an attempt to soothe Yoshi, who was obviously fuming from having Marcus interrupt yet again. Scenes began to flash by upon the screen, the romantic comedy playing out before them. Slowly Thomas reached down into his own lap, hand searching for the yellow kernels. Thomas' hand grazed across soft skin, the back of his fingers tingling from the sensation. He smirked as he decided to tease, his fingers lightly caressing the others, before pulling back, popcorn in palm. Thomas would be surprised to find the hand chasing his own, fingertips running down his palm before they reached into the popcorn and grabbed their own handful.

Pleased, Thomas brought the kernals to his mouth, skin tingling from the contact. During this bout of handsie, Thomas felt the wrist coming from his right. This assured him when he yawned playfully, stretching his arm over his date.

He felt shoulders pressing back against his arm, and heard a quiet giggle from Yoshi, though if it was from Thomas or the movie, as the theater filled with its own chorus of laughter, was hard for the blond to decipher.

A smirk crawled across Thomas' face as he let his leg fall to the side, knee touching that of the person in the seat next to him. Confidence ran through him as he grew daring, his voice but a whisper. "Hey... Feed me some of your candy." Thomas let his voice drag out in a most audacious tone, lips suckling on every word.

There was a slight pause where Thomas was left waiting. He felt a slight turn, feeling a brush of a chin on his arm. She must have been checking to make sure Marcus wasn't watching. He then felt a shifting of shoulders, perhaps in a shrug, before a candy-coated chocolate, some sort of American candy, was popped into his mouth.

The blond chewed, savoring the sweet taste of the flirtatious chocolate, the candy coating melting away against his tongue. He turned his head towards his out stretched arm, leaning forward slightly. The movie continued to roll as Thomas lavishly whispered into his date's ear, "Thanks hun." Thomas heard a sharp puff of air that must have been held-back giggles as the ear he whispered against shyly turned away. The trio fell into a comfortable silence as the movie continued, though Thomas did receive a few more occasional, spine-tingling brushes as they reached for the popcorn, or when the blond managed to steal another piece of candy. When the credits began to roll, Marcus and Yoshino seemed to have the same idea, as they both stood up and exited the isle before the house lights came back on. Thomas got a stroke up his still outstretched arm as his legs were pushed past, at least. When the lights came on, Yoshino and Marcus were both already waiting for him in the aisle, each holding now empty cups full of crumpled up wrappers.

Thomas meticulously picked each and every item the two left behind, dropping them off in the trash along the way. "Ugh, such pigs. You guys really need to learn to clean up. Especially you, Marcus! Your side was disgusting!" Thomas ranted, strolling up to the two. "Oh... And Yoshi." Thomas turned his head to the side, cheeks reddening. "Thanks for... the candy."

"Hm?" Yoshino asked, quirking a brow. "Why are you thanking me? You paid for it."

"I... Er..." Thomas stumbled over his words, stepping back for a moment. He flashed her a playful grin, "Well... for y'know..."

Yoshino continued to give him a confused look. "Oi, Thomas," came Marcus' voice, coupled with the crinkling of a wrapper. When the blond glanced over, he'd see the brunet tossing his soda cup, left holding a now empty plastic bag. On the front was printed pictures of the candy-coated chocolates. Marcus was trying so hard, and failing, to hold in his laughter. "I didn't know you liked chocolate so much."

The blood drained from his face. His heart stopped, breath refusing to flow. "M-M-Mar-... Marcus..." Thomas stuttered, words failing him. The blond's knees crumpled, legs falling into one another. "Y-You... didn't. That wasn't... it couldn't have been..."

Marcus couldn't hold it in. He burst out laughing as he chucked the wrapper, slapping a hand over his mouth after a few long, agonizing moments for Thomas. Yoshino was left to just look between the two of them, completely puzzled. "What in the world are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!" Thomas yelled, face flushed. He couldn't let her find out, not under any circumstances. It was bad enough that it happened at all! "M-Marcus here... just let me have some of his candy. And I ate too much of it. For that, I am sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Marcus said, waving his hand before putting them behind his head with a smirk and a sideways glance at the blond. "That's what friends are for, right?" he quipped, still holding in snickers.

"Marcus..." Thomas began to regain his composure, eyes locking on the tan boy. He walked up next to the boy, running a hand through his own blond locks before turning to Marcus again. "I-I'd... appreciated it if you didn't mention any of what... Ahem... transpired, to Yoshi," he whispered, pleading.

"Oh, you would, would you?" Marcus said, raising his eyebrows. "And what's in it for me?"

"Ah!" Thomas had hoped that Marcus wouldn't realize the situation he was in, but alas. "I... er... I'll make it worth it to you." In a most paranoid fashion, Thomas glanced over his shoulder, making sure Yoshino wasn't looking. "What do you want," he demanded.

"Only to tag along, my dear Nerdstein," Marcus said, slinging his arm over the blond's shoulder and grinning impishly. "I do enjoy being the third wheel."

Thomas was taken a back, surprised that Marcus was able to see through his and Yoshino's relationship, of which he assumed was so cleverly disguised. "I have no idea what you are talking about..." Thomas quavered, looking away from Marcus as he spouted this.

"Sure you don't," Marcus laughed, tugging Thomas a bit closer with a flex of his arm. "Just let me know whenever you guys are going out, huh? You've still got my number, I'm sure."

"...And if I don't invite you?" Thomas inquired, curious as to what the pony-tailed boy was to say.

"Then I tell Yoshino all about your wandering hands," Marcus said with a shrug and an all-too-innocent roll of the eyes. "It's up to you, I guess..."

Thomas' fate was sealed. There was no way out. Marcus was to come on every date from now on, for if he didn't the events of which unfolded in those malicious seats would be known to Yoshino. However, this did not mean that Thomas couldn't try his best to foil the young Digi-Warrior. And from this a series of events unraveled, Thomas and Yoshino's teen love constantly interrupted by Marcus' meddling. It began with small things, fighting with the waiter in a cafe, to punching out the operator of the local fair's Ferris Wheel, in order to get on with Thomas and Yoshi. However, this chain of events soon spiraled out of control, with Marcus chasing after the couple while on a yacht, by scuba diving after them. Why? Why was he doing this? Thomas was left to think to himself after every date. Was it... jealousy? Date after date Marcus would interrupt, getting on stage during concerts, and even picking fights with the singer! Finally, Yoshino couldn't take it anymore. "That's it!" she screeched after yet another destroyed date, which had Marcus running off after the man steering a horse and buggy. "We're going to go somewhere next time where he can't follow us!" Despite Thomas' worry over this plan, Yoshino insisted. Her ultimate idea was simple. She picked the date this time. None of Thomas' elaborate and meticulous planning or careful selection of fancy venues and events. She brought them to a small, simple nightclub. Packed with people, booming with incredibly loud music, but best of all... "There's a bouncer out front," she explained, grinning as she and Thomas approached the place, fixing her sleek black tank top so it was perched perfectly above the top band of her striped and ruffled skirt. "No one under twenty allowed."

A pink haired bubbly girl marked the entrance to the club. The ground shook as the couple approached, the base line of the club heard dozens of feet away. "Hi! Welcome to The Portal! ID Please!" the girl chirped, tilting her head to the side. Both Thomas and Yoshino flashed their identification, smiling like the cat who caught the canary as they entered. Yoshino and Thomas entered the nightclub feeling victorious. If they were carded, then there would be absolutely no way for Marcus to slip past the bouncer. He was still two years too young to drink or go to nightclubs, and Yoshino couldn't have been prouder of her plan. Grinning widely and grabbing Thomas by the hand, she yanked him into the depths of the club to dance. Hours passed. Drinking, dancing, and fun all without the presence of Marcus. A completely Marcus-free date. Yoshino had occasionally made glances at the door at the beginning of the night, but the brunet didn't even show up. She figured he must have known this date was impossible to mess with, and eventually forgot about him. Of course, Marcus wasn't one to be forgotten about. "ID please," the girl outside said, putting her arm up in front of the open door.

"Oh, c'mon, toots, don't you remember me?" Marcus asked, grinning.

"N-No...I don- Oh hey! You were one of my customers back at the Ice Cream Parlor! I remember you and your friends... Hey!" Cassie pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. "You guys left me with quite a mess to clean up! How rude!" The girl, clad in a pink and black lolita outfit, reminiscent of the one she wore at her old job, turned her face away from Marcus, trying not to look at him. "You're definitely not getting in! Besides, you probably don't even have an ID!"

Marcus forced himself not to quirk a brow. Wasn't cleaning up, like... part of her job? "Not my fault, they're the ever-sparring couple," he said, putting on a pout. "C'mon, don't lump me in with them. Can you imagine how embarrassed I was when they had that fight?" he sighed, rolling his head back a little. "I hate it, they always embarrass me in front of cute girls."

"C-Cute girls?" The little bouncer blushed, her face matching her hair. After a moment, she snapped her head back to Marcus, stammering out, "D-Don't think that's going to get you in though! I'm just covering for a friend who's sick, and if someone under-aged came in and caused trouble, he would be so mad at me!"

"Trouble? Me?" Marcus said, frowning gently. "I'm hurt... And here I was hoping you gave me your number so we could go out sometime."

Meanwhile, inside the club, Thomas spun Yoshi around, attempting to dance to the best of his ability; although all of his 'moves' were just modified ballroom dances. Yoshi looked up lovingly, gazing at the blond, her hand crawling down his back. "Hey Yoshi?" asked Thomas.

"Yes, lovely?" she answered, staring into his blue eyes.

"Why... did that bouncer look so familiar? And for that matter, why was a little girl like her hired for such a... brutal job?" Thomas asked questioningly.

"Ugh! Well, if all you're going to think about is other girls, I'm going to go powder my nose. Wait outside the bathroom door for me," Yoshi snapped, fighting her way out of Thomas' arms.

"W-What... did I do wrong?" Thomas grumbled, following her to the bathroom and preparing to wait. However, after a moment, she burst out, complaining about how there was a long line. At this, Thomas narrowed his eyes, searching the club for a different restroom. "Yoshi. There is an out of order one in the corner over there. I bet it's fine, go use that."

"Out of order?" Yoshino asked, looking over at where Thomas was pointing. She frowned a bit, but soon nodded her head. "Yeah, if it has a mirror, it should work just fine. Watch the door for me, will you?" she asked, as she lead the way over, leaving him outside as she disappeared into the restroom.

Back outside, the pink hued girl had found the brunet's arm around her, her face turned away as he whispered to her. "I-I'm sorry... but I can't do this. Not here. I-I don't want to get in any trouble..."

"I understand," Marcus said, nodding his head as what he hoped was a compassionate looking expression spread across his face. "What if I go in, and you come get me when you're done with your shift?"

The girl looked at the growing line, discontent spent across the faces of the crowd. "F-Fine... Just don't do anything stupid, got it?" she sighed, giving in. She unhooked the red velvet divider, creating enough room for Marcus to enter the club. Marcus stepped forward, music embracing him, the aroma of hundreds of dancing people capturing him. He took a step, but was caught by the arm. "Oh, and don't forget about me." The girl leaned forward, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before returning to her post. Marcus grinned, placing a hand over his cheek. He had to admit, the dame wasn't half bad. Looking back into the club, his thoughts shifted back to the whole reason he was there. He scanned the swath of people, but they soon strayed to the edges of the place, where the wallflowers hung back. When he spotted that head of golden blond hair over on the sidelines, he honestly couldn't say he was surprised. What he was surprised to see was the door to the out of order women's restroom opening, and a hand emerging and pulling him in. Quirking a brow, Marcus gave chase.

Thomas back was pushed against the women's restroom door, Yoshi's hand snaking up his back. "W-What are you doing Yoshi? This is the women's roo-" Thomas chatter was interrupted by Yoshino tilting his head downwards, her lips meeting his. Her hand grasped for blond strands, tugging lightly as she made her way down his pale neck, enjoying the moment.

Marcus' ear was pressed up against the door, and his green eyes widened when very distinct sounds began to get so loud that even the booming music of the nightclub didn't drown them out for him. They weren't feminine noises though. Yoshino was silent. All the brunet heard was the blond gasping and groaning through the wood. "Damn," he breathed, putting his hands against the door. "She's really going eighteen karat..."

Yoshino pulled Thomas' head back, exposing the length of his neck. Her soft lips pressed against it's base, heavily suckling. Her body bearing against his, hips swaying to the music, still heard. Slowly she backed away, loins still pressed against his. Dainty fingers undid the buttons of her black shirt, exposing her bosom. "Enjoy it while you can," Yoshino seductively called, undoing the back of her bra. Marcus moved one of his hands to his forehead, massaging his temples. Was this really happening? Sure, he knew that Thomas and Yoshino had been trying to go out together all of this time, but they were jumping to this without having one full date go properly? It blew his mind. When he first came back to the real world and realized they'd moved on and blossomed a new relationship without him, it had killed him. Suddenly their trio was no more. They'd moved on to a much more adult mindset that he couldn't even fathom because of all his time spent in the Digital World. He groaned slightly, squeezing his eyes shut at the thought as the sounds from inside the bathroom continued to permeate his ears.

Thomas' face flushed red, eyes averting away from Yoshino. "T-This is... wrong..." he stammered, bringing his hand to his face. Yoshino frowned, releasing her fingers as she let her bra slide off, exposing her chest.

"But it's so right," she slyly suggested, as she ran her hand up his thigh. The distance between them was closed off once again, theirs lips connecting. Thomas moaned beneath her, hand sliding up to his crotch. Her face turned sour again, expression dissatisfied. She was just going to have to try harder, she thought to herself, as she unbuttoned Thomas shirt, kissing his bare chest while she trailed down. And that was when the door opened and the two came tumbling out, Thomas landing flat on his back and Yoshino falling on top of him. Marcus stared down at them, as if he'd been expecting them to fall out laughing and jeering that he'd fallen for a trick. But... their exposed and now pushed together chests said otherwise. He opened his mouth to say something, shook his head, and then suddenly ran off into the crowd of dancers, vanishing and leaving them there in their awkward position on the floor.

Thomas snapped out of his daze as he hit the floor, the back of his head banging against the wooden dance floor. It took him a moment to comprehend what just happened, his head throbbing to the beat. "Ugh..." he groaned as he pushed Yoshino off, re-buttoning his shirt. The girl gasped, quickly covering herself as she ran back into the bathroom. "W-Wha-... Marcus!" Thomas yelled, his voice lost within the waves of people. He arose as quickly as his body would allow, the entirety of himself lost within the pain felt within his skull. 'I have to go after him,' he thought to himself, as he stumbled to the sidelines, in search of his friend.

Unfortunately, it seemed Marcus was the master of evasion, as, despite the small size of the club, Thomas was unable to locate him. After quite a long, fruitless search of the place, he finally circled back to the bathroom, outside of which a very flustered and furious Yoshino waited. "I can't take this anymore!" she growled when he approached, tugging on her burgundy hair.

Thomas approached the bathroom, his ballroom dance shoes clicking against the floor, his mind frustrated from the lack of results. "Ugh.. .I couldn't find him," Thomas spoke, his voice just loud enough for his date to hear.

"Him? Why are you so concerned about him? He has ruined every one of our dates, and the moment he goes away of his own free will, you try and find him? What is wrong with you?" Yoshino roared, stomping her foot. "I... I wish he would just go away again! And this time, never come back!" she screamed, attracting the attention of nearby dancers.

"Yoshi..." Thomas' gaze darkened, his movements concise and swift. His hand grabbed her wrist, pressing it against the wall. "Don't you ever say that," he threatened, grip tightening. "I'm... I'm not going to let someone close to me... close to my heart... slip away. Never again!" Thomas cried out, throwing her wrist to the side. He turned, back to the stricken woman. "I think it's time you left."

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Yoshino shouted, stomping her foot and quickly turning tail. She was completely fed up with this. Between Marcus always ruining their dates and Thomas always letting him ruin their dates, she had had enough already. But falling onto the floor topless in front of a crowd of people? That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Thomas searched, his body still aching from the fall. Lights danced around him in a swirl of colors, as he slumped against the wall. It was useless. He had lost the one closest to him again. He felt liquid trickle down his neck, Thomas' body shaking from the series of events. The blond boy brought to fingers to the liquid, bringing it to his mouth. A copper-like sensation filled his mouth, pain over-riding with shock. He couldn't have fell that hard... could he? Slowly he made his way to the door, ravers and dancers alike ignoring him, assuming he was drunk or high. He stumbled out the door, noticing a new bouncer at the door. "Hey... You there," the bouncer inquired, voice deep. "You're bleeding... Are you goin-"

"Yeah," Thomas interrupted. "I'm a doctor. I'll be fine."

"See, I told you I wouldn't cause a problem, Cupcake." Marcus' voice came from just a short distance away. Turning his head, Thomas would catch the sight of Marcus walking away, his arm over the shoulder of the girl who had been guarding the door before. "I'm perfectly... fine," he said, as he stumbled over his foot a little, and leaned closer to her because of it.

Thomas pressed his back against the cold steel wall of the club, pulsating against his entirety. He slid down, head laying against the building as he dug into his pocket for his cell phone. "Hey... No... Yeah, that would be nice... Thanks." He spoke softly and with few words into the device, closing it upon the end of the conversation. "What... What have I done?" Marcus' voice faded off into the distance as he rounded the corner, coupled with the giggles of the girl that just seemed to echo in Thomas' head. Soon, a limo pulled up, and the door was opened and Thomas helped inside. As the limo took off towards the Norstein mansion, Thomas' blurry eyes would briefly catch sight of Marcus and the pink-haired girl entering a different bar a few blocks down before he raced past, being carried swiftly towards home.


	4. The Eye of the Storm

A few hours must have passed, Thomas wallowing in the pity of having messed up his friendship with not one, but two of his friends. One of wish he'd sought a relationship with and the other which had been gone for years upon years. The guilt was palpable. No one dared enter the room, not butler or maid or even sister. But, the doorknob eventually turned with a tiny click, and light shed into the room in a small wedge as the door was swung open. "Sir? What're you doing in here?"

The blond just laid his head there, refusing to budge. Even as the light was sprayed upon him, his eclipse banished, Thomas' soul remained saturated with shadows. "Oh... Gaomon." Thomas dawdled on every word, the syllables hanging from his mouth. "I'm... sorry. If I was a better partner, I would be with you right now..."

"What do you mean, sir?" Gaomon asked, moving into the shadows of the room to stand before the hunched over boy. "Obviously something's troubling you for you to be sitting in the dark, alone like this." His tail twitched, ears flattening a little at the look on the blond's face. "How about I make you some tea and you tell me what went wrong, sir?"

"That... sounds nice. Black tea..." Thomas lifted his head, the burden heavy on his neck. "It's all my fault Gaomon... they're gone because of me..." Thomas choked up, head falling into his hands. "Everyone close to me... everyone I let draw near... ends up leaving, and it's always my fault." Silence took the room, Thomas gulping down what was caught in his throat. "I-I... could have saved her Gaomon..."

Gaomon wanted to move to the door, to go prepare the tea for his partner, but Thomas' words kept him in the room as he continued to ramble. "Could have saved who, sir?" he asked calmly, as he came to sit cross-legged in front of Thomas, putting his gloves hands on his knees.

Thomas just shook his head as he sat there, eyes closing. "I should have... foreseen this. I should have taken measures against it. I was a fool... for allowing any of this to happen in the first place." Thomas felt a wet streak roll across his face, onto his hands. "Why..." Gaomon frowned, standing up again. He gently moved forward and patted his partner on his shoulder before exiting the room. He knew that though Thomas seldom cried, once he got started, Gaomon wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him. He returned very soon after-wards with a small tray and a hot cup of tea upon it, the tray carefully gripped in gloved hands and steam rising from the cup. He sat down next to his partner this time, wiping away his tears with a well-aimed nuzzle that cleared the trails away with a swipe of Gaomon's soft, blue ears. He then offered the tea up to his partner, sure he'd be calmer after having it. Thomas lightly gripped the teacup, his clammy hands against the porcelain. "T-Thanks..." He managed, before sipping some of the black liquid. It's warmth ran down his throat and throughout his body, Gaomon's special tea serving as a reminder that he wasn't alone. "Gaomon... thank you." The blond boy looked up with blood shot eyes, arm reaching out for the blue-furred Digimon.

Gaomon tilted his head, silently asking for a scratch behind the ears as his praise. He resisted the urge to thump his foot on the floor when he received it, but his tail did start to wag. After a few moments, he straighten back up again, and coughed into his fist, clearing his throat. "Will you tell me what the problem is, sir? What went wrong?"

"M-Marcus... he found out." Thomas took another sip of the tea, his back straightening slightly as he managed to regain a bit of composure. He took a moment, wiping his face with his sleeve, before continuing. "H-He found out... about me and Yoshi. And now... Now he doesn't..." he paused, patting the head of his companion, pausing to think of the proper words. "...See me as a friend anymore."

"How do you know that, sir?" Gaomon asked. "Did he say that to you?"

"N-No... but he left." Thomas mumbled, head returning to hands. "W-What else could it have been?"

"He might have just been surprised, sir," Gaomon said, frowning gently.

"B-But he ran away... with some harlot." Thomas scorned, face turning sour. "He might even still be with her now..."

"Sir..." Gaomon's frown deepened. "Where did they go?"

"Into... the night." Was Thomas' only response, his gaze wandering yet again. The soft pitter-patter of rain began, it's delicate drops dancing upon the rooftops. "He... got drunk. He may even still be out there."

Gaomon's tail twitched, and he drummed his gloved hands on his knees. "Sir, the forecast for today predicted a bad storm late into the night... If he's still out there..."

The sound of heavier drops began, the rain's dream-esque sound increasing in volume. Thomas' sadness personified within the storm, his guilt raining down from the sky, as if it's tears were his own. "D-Do... you think he's still out there, Gaomon?"

"It's likely, sir." Gaomon's expression became pensive. "He's probably never drank before, it's likely he's disoriented. There's a high chance he's just wandering around out there."

"G-Gaomon... should I..." He stopped. Marcus was probably fine. Besides, he wouldn't want to see Thomas anyway, especially after the whole incident. How could he?

"You'll never forgive yourself if something happens to him, sir," Gaomon responded quietly.

Thomas sat, listening to the sound of the rain, his head lurching back against the corner of the room. Then, in one movement, he rose, eyes clearing away. His pale hand came down on Gaomon's head, petting him in thanks. "I'm going to go after him. Don't wait up." The blond boy walked briskly to the door, the sadness that enveloped him dispelled, color returning to his face. The blood of which ran down the back of his neck had long since dried and caked. "And Gaomon... I promise, we'll return again." Thunder and lightning started to crackle overhead as Thomas headed outside and ducked into the limo. The storm was starting to get bad, and quickly. On Thomas' demand to step on it, they were off on their search for Marcus. Their first stop, the bar Thomas had seen him going into, was fruitless. Neither Marcus nor the girl he was with were there. The blond went back to the club, but that was empty, too. All the work and searching seemed wasted, however, as they spotted him after almost a half an hour of searching simply sitting on the curb on one of the city's back-roads. He was completely soaked and it looked like some car had gone by and splashed mud onto him, as he was now sputtering and wiping his face clean with the bottom of his shirt. Thomas was shocked at this sight, yelling at the driver to pull over, causing him to skid across the slick streets. "Marcus!" Thomas yelled over the rain, it's booming voice overtaking the city. The blond boy didn't care if he got soaked, he didn't care about the rain, or the cold, or if he might slip or not. He only cared that Marcus was alright. "Marcus..." Thomas slowed, resisting a nagging tug to embrace him.

"Hey!" Marcus suddenly pointed at the blond, even as he was still trying to get mud out of his eyes. "Hey, hey..." he laughed slightly, grinning widely. "What're you doin' out here, Nerdstein? Didn't... didn't you have stuff going on?"

Thomas reached out for the brunet, hand hesitating in the air, before pulling back. "How long have you been out here?" Thomas demanded, his grief turning to anger. "You could have gotten sick! Or worse, kidnapped and killed! What would I have done then, Marcus?" Thomas choked up again, face masked by the downpour. "What would... I have done without you?"

"Lived the life of Riley?" Marcus guessed as he stumbled to his feet. He continued to sputter and it took a moment for him to get his footing right. "Hey..." He looked upwards, blinking his eyes very quickly as water fell into them, and then turned to Thomas. "It's raining, huh?" He then let out a long breath, shrugging his shoulders and starting to count on his fingers. "I dunno, I've probably... probably been out here a few hours. I... complimented that dame on her rack and she left me here."

"You... You did wha- Never-mind that! You've been out here for hours? What have you been doing?" Thomas demanded again, getting closer to the boy, so he could hear him. "...You're coming back to my place for the night. I'll call up Sarah and tell her. You are in no shape to go back home right now, it would break her heart to see you like this. Not to mention what your father would think! Hell, what were you thinking?" Thomas rambled, the rain leaving the two in their own world.

Marcus sort of swayed and stared at the blond as he lectured him. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shook his head, making wet bangs stick to the side of his face. He stumbled closer, lassoing his arm around Thomas' shoulders to help keep himself upright. His hand reached forward slowly and grabbed Thomas' tie, pulling the blond's face uncomfortably close to his own. "Absolutely... nothing," he breathed, before he broke down into a fit of giggles, turning his head down and doubling over as he let go of the other boy's tie. Confusion swept over Thomas, he himself beginning to stumble as Marcus pulled him close. He could feel the warmth of Marcus' body radiating towards him, his eyes looking over him. He really had grown over the years, albeit it only physically. However, the combination of this and the distraction created by Marcus' manuever caused Thomas to stumble again, losing his footing. The slick sidewalk pulled Thomas down, and with him, Marcus. Marcus hit the pavement and white flashed across his vision for a moment. He groaned loudly, lifting his head and rubbing at the back of it. That was going to hurt in the morning. He looked up with a partially squinted eye, the other shut, only to see a blurred Thomas' blushing face hovering over him. He opened his mouth to say something, like before, but started to laugh. "This is like... this is like at the place!" he said, pointing to himself. "Except I'm you..." He then pointed to Thomas, prodding at his chest with an extended finger. "And you're Yoshino. Except this part. That's not like Yoshi."

Thomas held himself up over Marcus, the cold pouring of the rain surrounding the two, their bodies as one. He just laid there, sprawled over Marcus, before smacking away his finger. "I-It's not like that at all! Yoshino and I... Er... That is to say... And me and you... I-It's just different, alright?" Thomas reasoned, remaining over the boy.

"Yeah okay," Marcus slurred, tilting his head from side to side. "Are we gonna go to your place? I need a shower. There's mud all in my hair and it is not awesome."

Thomas looked over the boy again, before fully realizing the situation and jumping up. "I... Yeah, just get in the limo," Thomas stuttered, heading back towards the car. "Walter, if you'd please," he stated upon entering.

Marcus sort of fell into the car after Thomas, landing on theb seat next to him and looking sort of dazed. He leaned to one side a bit too much and fell over, crumpling against Thomas and resting his head on his shoulder. As soon as he did, he closed his eyes. "My head hurts," he murmured into the now soaked fabric of Thomas' shirt. Thomas first response was to shove the boy off, Marcus' wet hair cold against his skin. He even lifted his hand up to do it, putting it against the boy. But he couldn't. Something was stopping him, and so he left it there for the rest of the ride.

When they finally returned to Thomas' mansion, even Marcus' seemingly perpetual headache didn't stop him from gawking at it, despite having seen it, at least its exterior, quite a few times before. Heading inside was an event, as shoes and socks had to be removed and maids bustled to place towels down on the floor so the two soaking wet boys could travel up the stairs without damaging the rugs. When they reached the bathrooms, Thomas waited for Marcus to get into the shower, but the boy suddenly sat down on the tile and put his hand on his head. "You... go on ahead, I'll be in in a second," he insisted, groaning and leaning his head back against the cold walls. The fall of steamy drops was quiet compared to the vociferous roar of the tundra outside. White tiles lined the walls, the porcelain matching. Thomas timidly stripped, his pale body just a shade whiter then the room itself. Slowly he let the clothes fall, carefully placing them upon a steel rack, the metal cold to the touch compared to the steam dissipating from the hot water. A distorted window blocked off the bathroom from the shower, creating an atmosphere surreptitious in nature. Reticently Thomas stepped, his foot hovering before entering the shower. He shuddered upon entering, the warm water washing away his worries. Thomas was allowed several minutes of peace, the steady flow of warm water creating a veil between him and the world around him. That was, until, a body suddenly vaulted itself over the wall of the shower. Marcus landed on his feet, only to slip and fall back against the wall and slam his hand onto it, using it to scramble back onto his feet. "Hey, hey, Thomas, hey... wait," he said, stepping into the stream of water. "I need a shower too."

Thomas flew back, the shock of Marcus' arrival forcing his back against the wall. "W-What the hell Marcus? You could have hurt yoursel-" Thomas raged, pausing when his eyes met the brunet's body. "Y-Y-You're naked..." Thomas stuttered, quickly averting his eyes, cheeks reddening. A moment of silence transpired before Thomas burst out, "I-I'm naked! Ahhhh!" Thomas high-pitched squeal cut through the air, the blond quickly trying to cover himself.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at Thomas, swaying back and forth a bit between his feet. "Yeah, of course, like... why wouldn't you be in the shower, right? Unless you normally take showers in swim trunks." He started to snicker, grabbing Thomas by the arm and dragging him back under the water. "I bet you do!"

"I do not!" Thomas stammered, stomping his foot, causing him to nearly slip, his arms flailing to keep balance. "B-But that doesn't matter... Get out!" Thomas yelled, his voice hoarse from the night.

"Why?" Marcus asked, quirking a brow. "This like... saves water and there's like, nothing wrong with that. Haven't you ever been in a locker room?" He laughed slightly at another random thought, pulling Thomas closer by his arm again and leaning closer in order to taunt, "Or have you never even been on a sport's team, N-Nerdstein?"

"I'll have you know that at the Oxford Academy of Advanced Medicine, I was on the school Cricket team!" Thomas retorted, attempting to pull Marcus off the shower floor, without touching anything but his hands, and while covering his man bits. "Now can you get out already? I would like to shower, so I can go have my evening tea. Besides..." Thomas stopped trying to help, again retreating to his corner. "I-It's embarrassing..."

"That's not a sport," Marcus said, laughing as he stabilized himself. He stood in the center of the stream of water, and tried to drag Thomas back. "C'mon, you're like... wasting time and water. Look, do you need help washing your hair or what? I know you got maids to do everything for you, but like... really."

"I can wash my hair just fine, thank you." Thomas quipped, giving in. He was going to just ride it out, for his friend. At this, the blond reached for a bottle of shampoo, skipping ahead in his normal shower schedule. He squirted the liquid into his hand, letting the gooey substance to flow through the cracks between his fingers as he rubbed his hands together. Bubbles formed as he worked it through his blond strands, closing his eyes to best ignore Marcus. And for a moment, he even forgot about him as he washed it all off, humming gently to himself.

Marcus, in his drunken state, just saw this all as infinitely amusing, and was holding back snickers that sputtered every time water flowed over his face and got into his mouth. He picked up the shampoo, looking over the bottle, turning it in his hands a few times before he took a step closer, coming up behind the blond. He leaned in to his neck and took a sniff, and the snickers finally bubbled up over his lips proper. "You use girl shampoo," he teased.

Chills flew down Thomas' spine as he felt Marcus' wet locks pressed against his neck, the boy's breath gently caressing his shoulders. Thomas blushed furiously as he stole the bottle from Marcus' hands, putting it down next to him. "I-It makes my hair soft... Not like you would know anything about it..." he stated flatly, turning his head away, hand grazing through his own blond hues.

"Whatever man, I have great hair!" Marcus scoffed, reaching back to take out his ponytail, the soaked hairband falling from his fingers and his brown hair falling around his shoulders. "But even I don't use... product," he snickered teasingly.

"...Obviously." Thomas retorted with a smirk, trying his best to ignore the hard curves the boy's body has developed from his years in the Digital World. "N-Now make yourself useful and hand me a towel. I can't shower like this. I'm done," Thomas grumbled.

Marcus crinkled his nose a little, before sticking out his tongue, and opening the shower door, stepping out onto the towel that Thomas had perfectly placed there for them to step out onto. He leaned over and got a towel for himself, starting to dry off his hair first, and then got a second one to offer to Thomas. "You're such a girl," he mumbled back.

"And you're such a barbarian." Thomas remarked, taking the towel from Marcus. He dried himself off conservatively, trying his best to have himself covered while he did so. Upon finishing, Thomas stepped out of the bathroom, turning his head to say, "Come on, I'll show you where you are staying." Marcus simply threw his towel to the side at Thomas' words, body still mostly dripping wet. He found himself stopped before he could exit out onto the carpeted floor of the wall, but it took several orders from Thomas, covering his eyes, before Marcus moved back into the room and actually dried himself off. He probably would have walked through the house without a towel around his waist if it weren't for the blond's insistence, too. It was obvious from his gait and his absent minded actions that he was completely out of it. Thomas noticed this, watching Marcus' glazed eyes made him worried. And so, the blond led the two into a room with a deep purple color, complete with two beds and matching sheets. On a table in the middle sat two pairs of pajamas, one red and one blue. "Here," Thomas started, handing Marcus the silky red ones. "Get into these, and get to bed."

Marcus took the pajamas and made a face, only sliding on the pants and letting the button-down shirt fall to the floor, immediately deeming it rather dorky with its Norstein family crest on the pocket and it's tailored edges. "I'm not ready for bed," he insisted, only to stumble backwards over his own feet and fall back onto his bed with a loud huff.

"I don't care," Thomas snapped, obviously worn out from the days events. "I am going to turn off the lights, you are going to drink the water by your bedside, and you're going to go to sleep. We'll deal with everything else in the morning." Clad in blue, the boy scuffled over to the light switch, flicking it off with his finger. "Good night, Marcus."

"Mmh," Marcus answered. He listened as Thomas stomped across the room, and despite his hazed mind and loose grasp on what had transpired, even he could tell from those heavy footsteps that the blond was pretty upset. Trying to follow Thomas' instructions, he reached over for the glass of water, grabbing it and trying to bring it to his lips, but finding his hands rather shaky. "I can't... get it to my face," he sighed through the darkness, putting it back down on the night-table rather heavily.

Thomas laid atop his sheets, pillow soft beneath him. He heard Marcus voice, quavering through the darkness. His body stirred, thinking of the pain the boy was to feel in the coming morning. His mind told him to stay, but his body moved against it, rising up to walk to Marcus' bedside. Along the way he flipped on a lamp, it's damp light barely illuminating the way. "Here..." the blond reached for the glass, condensation cold against his fingertips. "It will make you feel better in the morning." His hand rose, bringing the glass to Marcus' pink lips.

With Thomas' help, Marcus was able to thankfully gulp down the clear, cool liquid. Draining he whole glass in a few gulps, his eyes followed the glass as it was moved away from his mouth and placed back down on the table. Thomas' hand then moved to turn off the lamp, but Marcus reached his own out and grabbed the blond around his wrist. "You're mad," he stated simply, green eyes looking up into blue almost confusedly.

"Of course I'm mad!" Thomas turned, his gaze meeting Marcus'. "Everything... keeps screwing up." Thomas sighed, sadness hanging from his voice. Thomas tried to pull away, but upon failing, he gave up and sat next to Marcus. "I tried... to make everything work. But it didn't... and Yoshi got mad, and you... Well, you ended up like this..."

"I'm the one that should be mad," Marcus insisted, prodding himself in the chest with his free hand, making his necklace clink gently. "I haven't been around for four years and you guys didn't even want me around! And all I wanted to do was see you guys again..."

"Marcus..." Thomas said, letting the syllables roll off his tongue, facial expressions softening at the realization. "It's not that we didn't want you... In fact, it's great to have you back... But me and Yoshi, we just... things are different now."

"No they aren't," Marcus laughed, shaking his head quickly, making his still loose hair whip about his face. "You're still just as awkward with Yoshi liking you as you were four years ago."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Thomas snipped, his expression a mixture of frustration and sadness. "It's not just about Yoshi liking me anymore... I think I'm starting to like her too." Thomas sighed, eyes shifting away. "...And I don't know what to do about you."

"You think you're starting to like her? Wouldn't you know?" Marcus asked, leaning in and giving the blond a scrutinizing look.

"...I guess." Thomas took a moment before answering. "I... I just don't know. I mean, she's a girl, right? And she's always been there for me. She's pretty, smart, and she likes me back. So why shouldn't I like her?"

"You like her like a sister," Marcus said simply, his eyes becoming half-lidded. "You didn't mention the fact that her rack totally got bigger, and that's how I know, before you say 'How do you know?'"

"Just because I don't judge a girl by the size of her..." Thomas cleared his throat, embarrassed, "Mammary glands, that doesn't mean I like her like a sister!" The blond stopped and thought, thinking about Yoshi. He tried his best to imagine her sexually, even naked. "Maybe... What do you think of when you think of Kristy?"

Marcus had to stop snickering about Thomas' choice of words before he could answer, which was quite a few moments later. "Kristy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think about how smart she is, and how many boys probably think she's pretty at school, and how I'm gonna beat them up... and how bratty she is sometimes..." he huffed, rolling his eyes.

Thomas mulled over what Marcus said, comparing it to how he thought of Yoshino. "...And Yoshi? What do you think of her? Do you think she is 'hot'?" Thomas asked, making air quotations with his fingers.

Marcus shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Eh, yeah, I guess so," he said, nodding his head a little. "She's not the hottest person in DATS, though, not by a long shot."

Thomas thought hard about this. He tried to think of Yoshino as a sex object, but he just couldn't do it. Sure she was pretty, but he just didn't find her attractive. "...Wait, then who do you think is the hottest person in our group?" Thomas inquired, curious as to Marcus' answer.

Marcus smirked slyly, taking a deep breath in and screwing up his expression, as if thinking. "I'd have to say..." he murmured quietly, leaning closer. He lifted his hand, and touched his chest. "Me, of course. Wouldn't you agree?"

As Marcus body drew closer, Thomas felt the heat radiate off of him. The sheets crinkled as Marcus got close, both bodies atop them now. Thomas mind flashed through the possible choices before Marcus spoke. And right before Marcus said who it was, Thomas played with the possibility that it might be himself. He blushed, eyes turning away in discontent, but a smile coming across his face. However, this was washed away when Marcus said himself, the corners of his mouth turning downward. "Y-You're such a jerk!" Thomas exclaimed, pushing Marcus away gently.

Marcus laughed loudly when Thomas pushed him away, his face turning pink with laughter. He pulled so much enjoyment from teasing Thomas. "You're too easy, Nerdstein," he snickered, pushing against Thomas' shoulder with his own.

"What do you mean 'I'm too easy'? What does that even mean?" Thomas flustered. The blond tried to pull away from Marcus, even look away... but he just couldn't. The soft light of the lamp curved against Marcus' tanned skin, brown locks framing his face.

"Too easy to tease," Marcus clarified, swaying a little bit. "You always have been... you take everything I say completely seriously." He swiped his tongue over his lips, which he only then noticed were feeling dry. "If you still don't get it, I was joking and you totally flipped."

"O-Oh... Well excuse me for caringq about what you think..." Thomas said, his voice slowly softening. Thomas' heart began to beat faster, confusion chasing it's tail within his mind. The shadows danced upon Marcus bare skin, every curve illustrated. Thomas gazed into his green eyes, so bright against the dim light.

Marcus laughed again, though it wasn't the loud, obnoxious laughter of teasing the blond. Rather, it was just a gentle exhale of air from his nose, a reigned back, amused snicker. "You want to know what I really think?" he asked, raising his brows and turning his head just slightly.

Thomas felt his body pulsate as the words escaped Marcus' mouth. Mind and heart raced in unison. How should he respond? What was the right answer? "W-Well... yeah. I care about you Marcus, and as such I care about your opinion," Thomas reasoned. His face grew hot as he watched Marcus, eyes shifting from his glowing body to his tanned face. Marcus let out another quick, amused exhale of breath. Thomas' blue eyes were filled with so much obvious excitement and anticipation. They were as clear as and colored just like the sky, so easy to read and yet sometimes so hard to dechiper. Bottle green ones gauged them for a second, second guessing himself just enough to be safe, which created a moment of tensioned staring. With his inhibitions practically thrown out the window, however, Marcus was even less inclined to be cautious than he normally would be, so that staring lasted only a second before his eyes closed, and he'd quickly traversed the small space between them, pressing his lips against Thomas' in a surprisingly gentle kiss. Marcus' soft lips pressed against his own, the contact spreading warmth through Thomas' body. His mind became intoxicated by the moment, pressing back against Marcus ever so lightly. Bliss grasped the blond, feelings of tension melting away within the kiss. "Mhmm." Thomas' lips moved, pulling away. He blushed furiously. "I-I... W-Wha...?" Thomas tried to formulate the words, but they just wouldn't come out.

Marcus' eyes were still closed for a moment when Thomas pulled back, but slid open a few moments later. His lips first pouted a bit at the contact being suddenly torn away, but then curved into a tiny smirk. "You know, for a genius, you can be sorta thick sometimes..." he said quietly.

Thomas eyes were fixed on Marcus' lips, his heart jumping when they pouted. "W-Why... Marcus..." Thomas wanted to run away. He was frightened, and didn't know what was going on... but it felt so right. Thomas leaned forward slightly, his body shaking in nervousness, but he didn't want this feeling to go away. Marcus' tiny smirk grew a little when he saw Thomas starting to lean close again. Oh yes, reading his body language was like reading an open book. Thomas was moving closer, but he was taking too long for Marcus' tastes. He was the one again who connected a second kiss, eyes sliding closed and his lips pushing flush up against Thomas'. Thomas let out a small moan upon contact, his heart fluttering inside. His lips, sensitive to Marcus' sweet touch, his hands running along the boys bare back. He pulled away again, this time softly, keeping their faces together. "I-I... don't know if I can do this."

"Why not?" Marcus slurred, making a tiny sound when the blond pulled back again. He swayed forward slightly, bumping their foreheads together for support.

Thomas pulled away further this time, laying his back flat against the bed. Slowly he was regaining his thought process. "Marcus... we're... I-I mean you and me... it feels... n-nice and all but..." Thomas fumbled, attempting to sort out his feelings.

Marcus knitted his eyebrows together slightly, nearly falling forward when Thomas pulled back, just barely managing to keep himself upright. He leaned over onto his elbow, laying down on his side next to Thomas. "If it feels good, what's the problem?" he asked.

"That is the problem, Marcus. I-It... shouldn't, right?" Thomas reasoned, his mind caught in the fray. He turned his head towards Marcus, the heat from the boy's body radiating towards him. It felt so warm. Involuntarily he felt his hand running along the curved surface of Marcus' torso, every twist and turn sensitive to his touch.

Marcus' muscles flexed a little nervously under Thomas' fingers as they ran over them. "What do you mean, it shouldn't?" he asked, his voice a little slurred, drunk not only to alcohol, but desire. He lifted himself up again and flipped one leg over, straddling Thomas' hips and putting his hands firmly on the bed on either side of his head, making the springs of the mattress creak a little. "Th-there's nothing wrong with it!"

Thomas struggled under Marcus, his body squiriming. The brown-haired boy's legs rubbed against Thomas' hips, causing him to blush furiously. Physically, their bodies were so close, almost as one. Yet, mentally, they were leagues apart. "M-M-Marcus, I don't think I'm ready for this yet," Thomas whispered, his voice shaky.

Marcus' green eyes stared down at the blond for a second. Aggressive people like him were known to do drastic thinks when drunk, and his expression almost seemed like he was going to prove those rumors true. But after a short moment, he let out a small, dissapointed exhale. "Alright," he murmured. He leaned down and gave the other boy a very chaste, final kiss, a tiny peck that was barely even that before he got off of him, and moved over to the other bed.

Thomas felt the warmth leave him, the cold of Marcus' bed embracing him. Marcus flicked the light off on his way over, leaving the darkness to strike into Thomas heart. The grief and self-loathing he felt before was replaced by confusion and a twisted sense of right and wrong. He lay atop the covers, eyes drawing shut. His mind raced, dozens of thoughts crossing his mind, all with one simple basis. "Did that really just happen?" Marcus crawled under the covers of the other bed, his back to Thomas' bed. He pulled the sheets up around his waist, and buried his face in the pillow. Though he'd seemed lively and awake moments ago, it wasn't very long before he was still, and the small noises of shifting sheets and breathy exhales subsided, leaving Thomas to silence with only his thoughts to echo about his head.


	5. Whirlwind

Soft linens pressed against Thomas' body, shivering. His bed was a mess, more of the sheets on the floor then the structure. Bags ran heavy beneath his less-than-sparkling blue eyes, body drained. He yawned, melancholiously rising. Blond locks were ruffled when Thomas scratched his head, eyes opening as he got up. Immediatly his body froze, shivers shooting down his spine. His gaze was fixated upon the brunet sleeping across the room, still shirtless from the underneath. Like a deer in headlights, Thomas stood, body refusing to move much more. He watched Marcus' chest rise and fall, a yawn cracking from his mouth. At this, the blond silently sprinted from the room, tripping over forgotten pajama items left upon the floor. Every crick and creak of the floor made the boy jump in the few seconds it took him to leap across the room, panicking. "Last night did not happen," Thomas repeated to himself aloud outside the room. It was only a few moments later that Marcus's snoring stopped, and he emerged from the room behind him, quirking a brow a little when he saw that the blond, whom he'd assumed had woken up early to head downstairs, was just crouching outside of the room mumbling to himself. Marcus' eyes were squinted and blurry, but he still knew it was Thomas. He reached out slowly, without announcing his presence, and simply tapped Thomas' shoulder to get his attention. "Gah!" Thomas shouted, falling over. The wooden floor was smooth underneath him, failing him when he attempted to claw away from the newcomer. Upon failing, he turned his head, taking in the full glorious view that was the figure standing beside him. "Ahhhhh!" Thomas yelled again, falling onto his back. "Y-You don't exist! I'm hallucinating. This is all a dream. A sick, twisted, malevolent one at that."

Though normally Marcus would have given the blond a strange look and then laughed hysterically in his face, this morning was different. He hissed loudly and put his hands on his head, massaging his temples. "Ow! Not so loud, will ya? My head hurts like hell..." Thomas' mouth wired shut at this, tripping over his own feet to get up. He rose, stumbling, making his way towards the kitchen. The moment he regained his balance, he skipped across the hall, head banging into the door on the way in. Marcus groaned as he followed the blond. "Nice morning greeting..." he reprimanded through another painted groan as he continued to rub his head. Even Thomas' hilarious crash into the doorway only got a slight smirk out of the boy who'd normally be laughing his head off at it. "What happened last night?" he asked through a yawn as he ambled his way inside.

Thomas skidded across the kitchen, it's snow white interior reflecting light upon it's newcomers. Fright over took him, feet fumbling as he ran into the corner of the room. Swiftly he turned, back towards the wall, arms held tight against his chest. "Nothing!" Thomas screeched, face turning pale. "Nothing... Nothing happened... you can go home now."

Marcus just gave the other boy a look. He exhaled heavily, shuffling his way over to one of the kitchen chairs, turning it around and falling down into it, resting his arms across the backboard. "Now? C'mon... I don't want to face my parents with a hangover," he sighed, still rubbing his forehead.

Thomas fretted around the kitchen, attemping to tidy the already spotless kitchen up. "Er... Right. I shall have Walter prepare breakfast," Thomas sputtered out, calling for the kind gentlemen.

Upon his arrival a few seconds later, Walter approached Thomas, "And what shall the two of you be having this morning?" Walter stated, proper.

"Uhh... Whatever Marcus wants... I need to go." Thomas freaked, running towards the bathroom.

Marcus opened one eye to look at the butler, and at once started to count things off on his fingers. "Toast, orange juice, fried eggs, fruit... Gonna need some butter for that toast, obviously..." The brunet was blatantly taking advantage of what he was sure was the Norstein's vast pantry. "Yo, Nerdstein!" he called after Thomas, cupping a hand around his mouth so he could be heard. "You got any sausage?"

Thomas sat atop the toilet seat, head in hands. "What do I do, what do I do?" He repeated to himself, rocking back and forth. "I... I'm going to pretend it didn't happen. Because it didn't. It was all a dream, albeit a really bad one," Thomas decided, getting up to return to the kitchen. It was then that Marcus' voice penetrated the bathroom walls, his request reaching Thomas' ears. Immedietly he fell back onto the toilet seat. "I can't do this!"

Back in the kitchen, Walter smiled gently at Marcus, his aged eyes watching the boy. "Yes. Yes we do."

Marcus idly scratched at the back of his head, huffing a bit at Thomas' lack of a response. "Well, that's good. I could go for some..." His voice trailed off, and he turned his tired eye on the butler. "Do you know what his problem is? He's freaking out like he saw a ghost."

"Oh, he'll be fine. He's just realizing what the rest of us already have. Either that, or he had a bad dream." Walter laughed, cryptically. Before Marcus could mull what he said over, Walter pulled out an apron, and began crafting the boys request. "And how do you like your sausage, Sir Marcus?"

Marcus gave the man's words a few moments of thought, but his head hurt too badly to try and seriously think about it. Besides, there was breakfast to be made... even if the maximum amount of work he was doing was just making requests. "Linked together," he yawned. "And not soft, either. Let them get hot... just don't burn them."

Thomas heard the brunet from the bathroom, his ears perking upon hearing Marcus' voice. His face reddened when his preference was heard, mind straying. "Does... does he really like sausages like that?" Thomas asked himself outloud, looking down.

In the kitchen, Walter turned to the boy, handing him a glass of water as he cooked. "It'll be done in a jiffy, sir. Now drink that so you're more manageable when Thomas returns."

"Everyone in this place wants me to drink water..." Marcus mumbled, taking the glass in his hands and sighing as he rested his chin on the back of the chair. His feet tapped on the tile floor for a moment, knees gently hitting the arms of the chair. Finally, with a sigh as the sound of sizzling sausage making his stomach growl, Marcus threw back the glass and downed all of the water in it in a few strong gulps.

Walter turned towards Marcus, a smile across his face as he handed the boy the platter of food. The butler turned about his heel again, taking a plate with a pastry, covered in a blue icing and placing it opposite Marcus. "He'll be back in a moment...And I'll give you two your privacy," Walter said, running off to watch surreptiously from behind closed doors. The blond then stumbled into the kitchen, distress strewn across his face. His hair was ruffled, eyes half open as he walked towards the table, plopping himself down.

Marcus had flipped his chair so that he was still leaning upon the back, but was now facing the table. He prodded at his food for a moment, spearing the sausage with his fork and popping it into his mouth. He didn't bother to unlink them and just sucked them in one at a time rather unceremoniously. "What's got your panties in a twist?" he asked in a voice that was muffled by a mouth full of food.

Blue eyes gazed upon Marcus' pink lips, slowly suckling on the thick, juicy meats. He watched as he sucked them in, face blushing furiously as Marcus spoke once again. "I-I do not wear panties!" Thomas yelled, slamming his hands against the table as he rose.

Marcus quirked a brow, finally pulling on the links and breaking them apart as he sucked the last of one into his mouth. "Calm down, Nerdstein, it's just an expression..." he groaned. "Why do you have to yell and slam stuff? Really... calm down and eat your..." He gazed at the boy's breakfast, frowning a bit at it. "Blue, gooey... whatever the hell."

"It is not a gooey whatever," Thomas interjected, flipping his hair. "It is a Tarte Alsacienne Au Fromage Blanc, and I will have you know it is quite delicious!" The boy paused, sitting back down, lifting his fork in a most fanciful manner. "And... I'm not yelling..."

"It sounds like you're yelling," Marcus groaned as he started to eat his toast. "Every word you say sounds like someone's hitting a gong inside my head..."

Thomas lowered his voice, ever so slightly, in concern for his friend in pain. "I shall try to be quieter." The boy turned towards his plate, the delicious pastry staring back at him. Slowly he plunged his fork down, cutting a bit off. He brought the metal object to his mouth, the soft, encrusted pastry falling apart as his tongue played with it's gooey insides.

Marcus watched Thomas eat his breakfast for a few moments, frowning a little bit. "Hey, let me try," he murmured, leaning across the table a bit. He picked up the sausage links off of his plate, and brandished them in Thomas' direction. "Here, I'll give you my sausage for a bite of it."

Thomas pulled away from the advancing boy, his face turning pink upon Marcus' suggestion. "I don't want your sausage!" Thomas remarked, swallowing his mouthful. "And I doubt you would appreciate Walter's superior skills as a French pastry artist."

"You underestimate me," Marcus scoffed, waving the sausage back and forth as if it were a baton in the hand of a conductor of an orchestra. "Need I remind you that I too grew up around an awesome cook? Now gimmie," he said, leaning closer.

"Sarah is more then a cook! She is an angel, crafting up the most beautiful and tasty delights," Thomas dramatically stated, as he cut into the pastry once again. The blue syrup ran down onto the plate as Thomas lifted the fork, attempting to hand it to him.

"You better be careful about how you talk about my mom," Marcus snorted, rolling his eyes at Thomas' words, and simply leaned over and took the piece straight off of Thomas' fork.

Thomas flustered himself when he fed Marcus, turning his head away in defiance. "H-Hey! You... you were supposed to feed yourself!" Thomas said, as he went to take another bite, but hesistated as he realized his fork grazed Marcus' lips.

Marcus just shrugged his shoulders as he again grabbed the piece of pastry off of Thomas' fork. "My hands are full," he said, holding up a piece of toast and the sausage links. Realizing that he'd gotten a bit of blue icing on his lips, he licked them clean quickly. "That stuff's pretty good," he remarked.

Thomas turned away as he plunged his fork into the crusted exterior, bringing it up for Marcus to take another bite. "...H-Here." Thomas blushed, raising it to Marcus' lips. "If you like it so much..."

Marcus raised an eyebrow when he realized the blond was willingly handing over his breakfast. He shrugged to himself, and took the pastry piece straight off the fork again. "And what are you gonna eat?" he asked through a full mouth as he chewed it.

"I'm... not hungry." Thomas stated, his stomach growling as he pushed away from the table. His face soured, refusing to look at the brunet, as he made a motion to get up.

Marcus frowned, grabbing at the hem of Thomas' pajama shirt and pulling him back. "Yo, what's your problem?" he asked, frowning gently. "You've been acting weird."

The blond wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out from the pain his heart was feeling. What was the right thing to do? Was there a right answer? "I'll... be fine. Just a bit of a stomach bug," Thomas stated, officially.

"I don't believe you," Marcus said with a defined frown. "Something definately happened that I don't remember. Spill it."

"N-Nothing happened! Why would you even say that?" Thomas snapped, face reddening. He sat back down when Marcus tugged again, his face in his hands. "Yoshi just got upset, and you got drunk... That's all."

"The way you're acting tells me that wasn't all," Marcus sighed as he released the other boy's shirt. He put his head in his hand, frowning as he looked at his dejected position. "You're a piece of work."

"I'm acting like my normal self! Completely normal. Nothing out of the ordinary." Thomas argued, stealing the fork from Marcus to take a bite of his original breakfast. "You're just... tired. Not to mention hungover."

"Even tired and hungover, I can tell that you're freaking out," Marcus argued right back, shaking his head adamantly. "I know you too well."

"You've been gone for years!" Thomas burst out, "For all you know... this is how I could be." The blond frowned, his face distorting.

Marcus laughed, shaking his head. "Not a chance," he said. "You're way too calm and collect to ever turn into a nervous wreck. Even four years of change couldn't do that to you."

"I am not a nervous wreck!" Thomas remarked, breathing in deeply. There was a pause before he let it out, afterwords saying, "See? Nothing to worry about. Now let's get you cleaned up so Sarah doesn't have a heart attack."

Marcus frowned at the blond, but nodded his head and got up. "Alright," he sighed. "I'll go get dressed..." He cast a glance at Thomas again, bottle green eyes suddenly full of determination. "But I'm gonna get you to tell me what happened, one way or another."

At this, Thomas rose. "Here, I'll show you to my room. I'll let you pick out an outfit..." The boy pushed his chair in, calling for Walter to get the dishes. "...And try not to dirty any of my clothes, okay?"

"I promise nothing," Marcus murmured as he trotted after the blond. "And you better have some t-shirts and jeans, I swear... everything you wear is so stuffy."

Thomas room was large in nature, blue being the theme. Hard wood pressed against the duo's feet as they made their way inside, the blond flicking on the light. "My closet's in the corner," Thomas informed, plopping down on his king size bed, complete with Gaomon-colored covers. "Pick something you won't ruin."

The sound of metal on metal echoed through the room as Marcus looked through Thomas' clothes. He had racks and racks of vests, jackets, and suit pants... "You have more clothes than any girl I've ever met..." he commented as he finally found the clothing he was looking for. Even though both the jeans and t-shirt would probably be rather tight on him, and the t-shirt was what he would have considered a pretty disgusting shade of green, they would be comfortable at least. Looking over the clothes a final time, Marcus gave a contented nod and, without much thought for the blond watching from the bed, began to strip off his pajamas.

Thomas blushed immensely as he turned away, making towards the door. "Hey! At least wait for me to leave before you start to change, jeez!" Thomas flustered.

Marcus huffed, heading towards the door as well, moving much more swiftly and beating the blond to it. He slammed it shut and stood in front of it, in only his borrowed boxers. "Man, how old are you now? You act like a ten year old girl when it comes to people getting changed. I'm just putting on pants and a shirt, there's no reason to take a hike." He pointed back at the bed, standing stubbornly in the blond's way and not allowing him out.

Thomas tried to push past Marcus, but it was to no avail. The boy had gotten a lot stronger over the course of his stay at in the Digital World, and as such even Thomas, athletic though he was, was forced to retreat. He stumbled back, confusedly, his hand reaching out behind him. Thomas felt the soft embrace of his sheet wrap around his hand, and upon this, he turned, laying on his bed. His stomach was faced down, head in his pillow. "O-Okay... I'm ready. Go ahead."

"You are such a baby," Marcus groaned as he went back over to the clothes on the floor. He picked up the pants, pulling them on with a bit of difficulty. Thomas' jeans were so skinny... Next the shirt, which hugged his torso nicely, though Marcus still made a face at the color. He flipped his necklace onto the outside of the fabric, and then moved to sit next to the blond on his bed. "Okay, you can look now," he said, rolling his eyes. Thomas peeked out from atop his pillow to make sure that Marcus wasn't screwing with him. Upon seeing that he was, in fact, dressed, Thomas rolled over, looking up at the boy. His clothes fit him snugly, as the blond gazed upon Marcus' curves. Memories of last night flashed through his mind, the positioning and situation being quite similar. Thomas face flushed white, then red, as he rolled over with a groan. "Okay, seriously, what happened!" Marcus demanded. He grabbed the blond's shoulder, flipping him back over onto his back, leaning over him a little with his elbow in such a place that Thomas couldn't turn back over again. "If me putting clothes _on_ is getting you flustered, obviously something big happened. Why won't you tell me?"

Thomas tried to look away as more memories from the night before flooded his mind, his body squiriming as he re-felt the pleasures. He gasped as Marcus took his chin into his masculine hand, his grip soft, yet firm. Thomas gazed into the boy's eyes, his heart pounding within his chest. Emotion washed over him like the tide upon mossy rocks, his back arching in desire. Swiftly he rose, his lips pressing against Marcus'. "That happened."

Marcus' green eyes widened when the blond suddenly kissed him. When Thomas pulled back, he was treated to the sight of the never-flustered Marcus having his tan face heat up a brilliant cherry red. "O-oh, did it?" he asked, completely frozen and looking at a loss for how to respond.

"Y-Y-Yeah... after we showered... we went back to the room..." Thomas paused, his entire body glowing red. "A-And... we had sexual relations..." Thomas turned over into his pillow. "If it makes you feel better, you... you were quite good."

Marcus' eyes went even wider and his blush got even darker. He suddenly moved away, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "Really?" he asked, putting a hand on his head. Suddenly he hated the fact that he couldn't remember anything. "Was..." he frowned slightly, looking over at the blond again. "Was I on top or bottom?"

"B-Bottom... you wanted to top... but you kept losing your balance," Thomas managed to spit out, after a moment. "So I took over." He felt his entire body shake as he said this, heart pounding faster and faster. How was Marcus going to react?

Marcus, at first, just looked confused. He was staring at a spot on the rug. He only then realized that his hair was still down, and idly pulled it back into the small ponytail it was usually in as he thought about what Thomas had said. He tried to picture that scene playing out in his mind. His face turned redder, and he put one of his hands over his cheeks. "O-oh," he stammered. "I... I see. That happened, huh? I..." he laughed rather nervously. "I don't remember any of it..."

Thomas laughed nervously as he turned over, face like a tomato. "S-So... how... How do you feel about it?" Thomas inquited, looking hopeful.

"Well, to be honest with you..." Marcus breathed, still covering his face embarrassedly. His voice trailed off for a few moments as he thought of how to properly vocalize his emotions. "To be honest, I feel like I really, really hate how tight your pants are on me right now." Thomas gazed upon Marcus, his body shivering with emotion at his words, giggling awkwardly. Slowly he rose, moist pink lips poised to kiss Marcus once again. But at the last second he turned away, blushing furiosly. Marcus had started to lean in for the kiss, moving his hand away from his face, only to practically fall forward when Thomas suddenly turned. He had to put his hand down quickly to stop from topping forward. "What was that?" he asked, looking up at the blond.

Thomas turned towards the wall, mulling the situation over in his head. After a moment, his mind went blank, as he flipped over, pulling Marcus close to him. He could feel the heat of Marcus' body on him, as their lips met once again. Thomas climbed into Marcus' lap, passionately kissing the boy as he wrapped his arms around him.

"Mnn..." Marcus groaned into the kiss, leaning into it as soon as it connected. He wasn't sure what was really going on, all he knew was that his heart was pounding and his blood was rushing thanks to it. He had no clue what had might have accidentally said to Thomas the night before or what Thomas might have even said back. He was blindly following the other boy, and it didn't bother him in the slightest.

Marcus' back arched slightly when Thomas' nails raked up it. He could feel the sensation clearly through the stretched fabric of the borrowed t-shirt. He shivered a little as his tongue slipped into the blond's mouth, and he lifted his own hands to grip at the front of Thomas' pajama shirt.

Thomas toyed with Marcus' tongue, flicking his own across the brunet's lips, hands grasping at brown strands. Almost involuntarily, his hips gyrated, Thomas' bottom grinding against Marcus. Thomas looked down in the heat, watching Marcus grow through Thomas' own excruatingly tight pants.

Marcus groaned loudly, and his hands instantly reached down to unbutton the top of the jeans. He'd been gritting back the discomfort before, but he couldn't take it anymore. "Th-that was... c-cruel," he breathed with a nervous laugh to accompany the words.

Thomas blushed as he kissed along the boy's neck, suckling. He pulled at the ends of the boy's shirt, clinging to every muscle. "A-Ahhhh..." Thomas let out, as he pulled the shirt off Marcus and closing the distance between their lips once again.

Marcus groaned when Thomas kissed at his neck, leaving small marks that spotted darkly along his tanned skin. He dove back into the kiss when the blond pulled back, and there was the audible sound Marcus' jeans being forcibly unzippered, even though his hands were occupied with holding tightly onto Thomas' arms.

Thomas gasped as his partner pulled close, the heat radiating from his body. His shirt began to stick to his skin as beads of sweat ran down his chest, hands running down Marcus' back. The blond let a small "A-Ahh!" escape his pink lips as he reached down and pulled the shirt off, exposing himself before the brunet. "J-Just... like last night..." Thomas quivered, his body shaking in anticipation.

Marcus swallowed slightly, his hands tightening around Thomas' arms. "Th-the same way?" he asked shakily, seeming unnerved by something. "S-so I'm b-bottom again?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Thomas pulled Marcus onto his lap, the tanned boy's legs wrapping around Thomas' pale, slender waist. He kissed his neck, tongue running down Marcus' bare neck. "Whatever you want, baby." Thomas cooed, lifting the boy up as strong arms were thrown around his collar. Slowly he walked forward, pressing into the wall behind him, the cold metal hinges against Marcus' back.

"Uhn! Nnh..." Marcus groaned, resisting the temptation to curl his shoulder up to protect his neck as the blond attacked it. Their bodies were pressed flush together and being pinned against the wall, Marcus could feel every ounce of friction between them every time Thomas moved, and it made him groan and twitch and turn his face away just to get a cool breath, the space between them too hot and thick to breathe.

Thomas felt for Marcus' hand, bringing it above the pinned boy's head, their lips mashing together. He moaned into the kiss, crotch grinding against the other's. After a moment he pulled back, a wet trail of moist hovering within the small space between their two mouths. "Marcus, I-" Suddenly the wooden door flung open, Walter's decrepit hand pushing inward, causing the hard oak to slam into Thomas' back, the young boy's bodies colliding into each other.

"Young Master?" Thomas and Marcus crumpled to the floor in a heap, their bodies sticking together from the sweat of which they created. "Oh. There you are." Thomas' face drew faint, paler then it's already whitened shade. He gasped in surprise, his back aching from the force of the blow.

"W-W-Walter! T-This is hardly the time!" Upon re-assessing the situation, Thomas began again, "T-This isn't what it looks like, either! W-We were..." Thomas pleaded with his eyes at Marcus, watching as the brown haired boy clutched his lower back in pain. "...I was checking for scoliosis! Yes, Marcus hasn't had a check-up in many years now, and I thought it'd be most appropriate if I did it now, especially after last night's events... Not that we did anything sexual! Oh no. We went straight to bed. S-Straight! We're also both straight. Oh so very straight. Like a ruler! A-And not like a peni- ...Just what is it!" Thomas rambled, face growing redder and redder as he continued. His hand searched desperetly for something to cover himself with, his own chest exposed.

Walter stepped, forward, chuckling, "I just came up to remind you that you had a manicure scheduled in half an hour. Please be ready by then. Toodaloo!"

Marcus was left hissing and rubbing his torso as Walter sauntered out, who was seemingly completely content with what he'd just done. Marcus was panting and his tanned skin was glistening with sweat, and he had been reduced to a completely lust-ridden mess until his mind finally snapped to attention. "Manicure?" he echoed, staring at the blond for a moment before suddenly breaking out into uncontrollable laughter.

Thomas just stared blankly at Marcus' face until realization washed over. "W-What? No. He must have meant something else. For someone else! He couldn't have meant me." Thomas reasoned, turned away from the boy whom he was just kissing.

"Come along now Master Thomas." Walter's call could be heard from down the hall, the old butler chuckling to himself, congratulating his Master within his mind. "Oh how he has grown. And caught himself a fine one, that he has!" Walter whispered to himself as he hurried downstairs, continuing with his butler duties.

"...Don't you have somewhere to be? A home to go to?" Thomas yelled at Marcus, throwing a shirt on backwards.

"I guess I was going home before you decided to have my face for lunch," Marcus snickered, very quickly regaining his composure after he wiped the sweat away and gave himself a few wake-up slaps. He zippered up his pants and started to search around for the shirt Thomas had lent him.

"Y-Your face for lu... Gah! I would never! Besides, I'm sure I could find wholly more delicious meals elsewhere, thank you very much!" Thomas responded, thinking himself clever. Hurriedly he rushed to the door, swinging it open once more. "Now shoo! Before you decide to have yourself an afternoon snack. I have... unrelated and important things to attend to..." The blond quabbled, his eyes diverging from Marcus.

Marcus laughed, brushing himself off after he was fully redressed. "Fine, fine." He came up behind the blond in the hallway, putting a hand on his shoulder and kissing at the back of his neck. "Call me." With a content smirk on his face, he spun on his heel and strutted off towards the exit.

Thomas blushed furiously at Marcus' last words, his body growing hot. "O-Out!" He quivered, shoving the boy out. Quickly he spun upon the door's closing, his back against it's firm, wooden surface. Both palms, covered in the brunet's steamy sweat, came to his face as he slid down the door, Marcus' rugged scent engulfing his senses. He was inebriated by his partner's feel, his touch. How gracefully he would slip his fingers down his back, how tempestuous his desires were. His everything demanded, bellowed out to Thomas that this was to be his. That he was to claim Marcus as his own. Thomas' soft rump made a thud as his body came to rest upon the floor once again. He was to date Marcus.

Marcus returned home that day feeling great, despite the headache of his hangover and the fact that he didn't even know how he'd gotten to Thomas' house. Everything had worked out the way he wanted, right? Well... the sex thing he hadn't expected. His confident face actually flushed a little when he thought about it. He wished he could remember... Shaking his head of the thought, he approached his front door and let himself in quietly to trip up the stairs and flop down on his bed. Now he just had to wait for that call... he was sure it would come.


End file.
